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Long winter evident in highway maintenance

To anyone living and traveling in Idaho the past five years, there is ample evidence piled up outside the door that this winter has been uncharacteristically harsh when compared with previous years.

In eastern Idaho’s District 6, for example, one half of the maintenance truck fleet ran continuously, without shutting down, from Dec. 24 through Jan. 3.

For recent transplants who find themselves asking their co-workers, “Do you always get this much snow?” maintenance management system expert Tony Ernest has crunched some numbers that show, through ITD goggles, how this winter stacks up.

The following statistics compare this winter’s (July-December, 2003) maintenance accomplishments and costs to a recent five-year average for the same months:

  • Maintenance has used 157,703 cubic yards of sanding material this winter, compared to 122,665 cubic yards the past five winters: an increase of 29 percent.

  • More than twice as much magnesium chloride de-icer has been used on Idaho highways and interstates this winter: 943,412 gallons compared to 465,650.

  • Certified employees have logged 47 percent more overtime hours on winter maintenance activities this winter compared to the past five: 11,961 hours compared to 8,160.

  • Maintenance workers have devoted twice as many hours sweeping streets and roads this winter compared to the last five: 1,047 hours compared to 518.

  • This winter’s maintenance costs are 39 percent greater than the past five years: $7.6 million compared to $5.4 million.

  • Winter maintenance costs in District 1 are 44 percent greater than the past five years: $2.1 million compared to $1.4 million.

  • Winter maintenance costs in District 2 are 52 percent greater than the past five years: $1.1 million compared to $720,465.

  • Winter maintenance costs in District 3 are 27 percent greater than the past five years: $1.3 million compared to $1.0 million.

  • Winter maintenance costs in District 4 are 27 percent greater than the past five years: $842,672 compared to $662,058.

  • Winter maintenance costs in District 5 are 32 percent greater than the past five years: $1.2 million compared to $940,640.

  • Winter maintenance costs in District 6 are 55 percent greater than the past five years: $1.0 million compared to $645,881.

While costs are up dramatically this winter, ITD’s funds for winter maintenance have not reached a crisis stage. On the contrary, funding for some of the material being used this year was committed several years ago, explains Dave Jones, ITD’s maintenance engineer.

“It bears saying that our budgets are not in crisis as these figures may appear to indicate. Much of the funds represented here have already been allocated or spent prior to this winter and the maintenance is merely ‘expensing’ these costs to the roadway sections specific to the activities accomplished on them.

“If our folks were not doing so many winter maintenance activities, these numbers would be much different. However, time and money spent on these activities is time and money lost to doing other maintenance activities such as guardrail repair and other activities that we have been able to perform in milder winters.

“Thus, I would expect to see ‘expenses’ for other maintenance activities to show significant drops corresponding to these increases,” he explains.