Department of Transportation rolls out mini-sanders
December 14, 2010
By Staff
The state Department of Transportation has rolled out another tool to combat ice and snow: eight mini-sanders.
Crews installed hopper sanders on two pickups, so the trucks can each carry a half-ton of sand. The agency has plans to install a third hopper on another pickup.
Plans call for five other trucks to be equipped with tailgate-mounted sanders that can carry nine cubic yards of sand
Transportation planners hope the smaller trucks can travel to difficult-to-reach spots inaccessible to larger equipment.Snow blanketed the area Nov. 22, snarling roads and mass transit systems across the Puget Sound region.
The agency has also readied a plan to work alongside the Washington State Patrol during future snowstorms.
DOT maintenance teams spent $5.58 million — including $2.38 million from Nov. 21-24. The breakdown: $1.75 million for labor and $1.37 million for materials. The agency has a two-year statewide budget of $73 million to fight snow and ice.
In King County alone, DOT crews used almost 1,000 tons of salt, 1,000 cubic yards of sand-and-salt mix and 25,000 gallons of liquid de-icer.
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[...] The state Department of Transportation is prepared to applying anti-icing material on dry roads and salt on wet roads throughout the afternoon and evening across the Puget Sound region. The effort involves Incident Response teams, including mini-sanders. [...]
[...] and evening across the Puget Sound region. The effort involves Incident Response teams, including mini-sanders. [...]