Van Doren: County Salt Schedule More Useful

Van Doren: State Should Follow Hunterdon County

Example When Salting Roadways

Hunterdon County Freeholder Shaun Van Doren joined with other public officials raising concerns over the seemingly excessive salting of roadways by the state when weather predictions do not warrant it, and suggested the state should follow Hunterdon County’s example of efficient, strategic response to winter weather.

Freeholder Van Doren, the Board’s liaison to the Department of Engineering and Public Works, stated, “The state’s salting or brining roadways when the weather does not call for it, ‘just in case,’ is detrimental to the environment and the life of roadways, negatively impacts on vehicles, and is a waste of tax dollars.”

Van Doren, during remarks at the March 19th Hunterdon County Freeholder Board meeting, noted, “Hunterdon County’s strategic storm prep and response measures have evolved from years of experience ensuring that winter weather is dealt with in the proper manner to protect the public, while not wasting tax dollars.”

In a media release, another elected official, Senator Declan O’Scanlon of Monmouth County, echoed these concerns, noting that on March 8th, when the temperature was not predicted to be below 37 degrees over the next few days, the state DOT was salting state highways.

Copy and paste this address into your browser to see Senator O’Scanlon’s release: https://www.senatenj.com/index.php/oscanlon/oscanlon-stop-the-madness-no-more-throwing-taxpayer-money-in-the-street/43065#more-43065

Van Doren said, “Some have speculated that Governor Murphy has ordered this hyper road salting to avoid a repeat of criticism for the state’s failure to act in a timely manner to the unusual November 15th snow storm.”

Van Doren reported, “In Hunterdon County temperatures have to be at or predicted to be below freezing with an expectation of snow or ice for the brine application to be instituted as a pre-treatment. However, brine will not be used if rain is initially forecast because the rain will simply wash it away.

During storms and when roads may ice over because of a longer period of wet and freezing weather, the County uses the salt application, which is usually visible to residents.”

Van Doren concluded, “The decisions in this regard are left to the experts in the County Department of Public Works who have had long experience in responding to winter weather. State officials would do well to do the same.”