| Q. |
How
many maintenance yards
does the New Jersey
Department of Transportation
(NJDOT) have to use
for snow fighting? |
| A: |
NJDOT
has 68 maintenance
facilities statewide
that house 76 snow
fighting crews that
are assigned multiple
sections of responsibility
statewide.
|
| Q. |
What
types of material does
the NJDOT use to perform
winter maintenance? |
| A: |
NJDOT
uses sodium chloride
or better known as
rock salt as the
solid anti-icing
material that is
sometimes wetted
with either liquid
calcium chloride
solution or a salt
brine to enhance
the melting capability
of the rock salt.
|
As
a winter storm
approaches,
trucks are
loaded
with material at
a maintenance facility.
|
| Q. |
What
is anti-icing? |
| A: |
Anti-icing
is a proactive approach
to prevent snow and
ice from bonding to
the road surface by
using timely applications
of a chemical freeze
point suppressant.
|
| Q. |
How
many salt storage locations
does NJDOT have? |
| A: |
NJDOT
has 70 salt storage
facilities statewide.
|
| Q. |
How
much salt capacity
does NJDOT have? |
| A: |
NJDOT
can store up to 164,003
tons.
|
| Q. |
How
much anti-icing liquid
does NJDOT store? |
| A: |
NJDOT
has statewide storage
capacity for 716,402
gallons of liquid calcium
chloride and 150,703
gallons of salt brine.
|
| Q. |
Does
NJDOT pre-treat the
roads? |
| A: |
Yes.
NJDOT does have 12
trucks that are strategically
placed statewide that
are equipped to apply
salt brine to the road
surface prior to the
start of any winter
precipitation. This
application remains
on the road surface
up to several days
depending on the amount
of traffic.
|
| Q. |
Does
NJDOT use their winter
maintenance trucks
for every winter storm? |
| A: |
Yes.
The NJDOT uses their
spreaders to apply
anti-icing material
for lighter storms
that may only produce
up to two inches of
snow. Storms that produce
more snow, greater
than two inches, are
considered plowing
events and the NJDOT
would then utilize
its plows.
|
| Q. |
Does
NJDOT use contractors
to spread anti-icing
material and plow snow? |
| A: |
Yes.
NJDOT has trucks contracted
to plow snow and also
to spread anti-icing
material.
|
| Q. |
Does
NJDOT use spreading
contractors every
time? |
NJDOT utilizes contractors
to help clear the roads
during a winter storm. |
| A: |
Yes.
There are areas in
the state that NJDOT
does not have enough resources which
require utilizing spreading
contractors for each
winter storm.
|
| Q. |
Does
NJDOT use plowing contractors
every time? |
| A: |
No.
Plowing contractors
are called out as needed
in the areas that require
snow plowing.
|
| Q. |
How
come I don't always
see a truck taking
care of the road during
a winter storm? |
| A: |
During
a spreading operation,
the single truck covers
many miles and cycles
back in approximately
two to three hours
or less, depending
on your location on
the roadway, it may
be two to three hours
before you see a truck
in that section.
|
| Q. |
What
should I do to find
out more information
before I travel? |
| A: |
NJDOT
offers a free service,
511NJ,
a phone and
web service, which
consolidates traffic
and transportation
information into a
one-stop resource for
commuters and motorists.
511NJ provides up-to-the-minute
traffic conditions
and it is available
seven days a week,
365 days a year. |
