Snow, Salt And Strategy. How Putnam Handles Road Conditions

With snow possibility on the Thursday night forecast, Putnam County road crews are prepared to keep conditions safe for drivers.

With over 700 miles of road, Road Supervisor Randy Jones said covering them all is impossible. Jones said his crews prepare by strategically placing trucks in areas most affected.

“We go east of Cookeville with about two or three trucks,” Jones said. “And get the mountains like Buck Mountain, Rocky Point, Sam Springs, Phifer Mountain. Then, they usually work their way on to Monterey. Then we have trucks that go north of town, and I usually spread them out where some go west and south.”

Jones said with only 6 trucks and limited employees, intersections are a point of emphasis before other roadways.  Jones said deployment all depends on amount of snow and the temperature. Jones said crews usually wait until the snow is set to arrive to start their routine.

“When it is forecasting snow, we stay out sometimes and wait,” Jones said. “We may have a truck setting up on Buck mountain or something waiting. Most of the time when it gets slick, it will just do it in a matter of 30 minutes. So, we will just start salting. It is a thing you have to watch and be prepared when it does hit.”

Salt can last up for years, Jones said. In the past three years, salt levels have remained steady as weather has been favorable, Jones said.

“It will last a long time,” Jones said. “It sometimes crust over and get hard. We have to stir it and bust the clumps in it, so it will come out the spreaders. We have a shed here that is covered. This salt here has been here for three years now.”

The county does not use brine, a water and salt combination, due to lack of sufficient equipment, Jones said. Brine is more likely to be used by the state, Jones said.