With 15,000 tons of salt on hand, Kane County DOT is ready for winter

The first flakes have already fallen on Kane County, but its plow teams have been prepped and ready to go for weeks.

Kane County Division of Transportation Superintendent Mike Way and his crew have been ready for snow since the middle of October. Kane County DOT is responsible for roughly 800 miles of roadway throughout the county, from Jericho Road in Aurora on the southern end to Big Timber Road north of Elgin.

In preparation for the first snowfall, Way had his fleet of 25 trucks loaded with salt inside the facility in Campton Hills, ready to hit the roads.

Drivers have already run practice routes and trucks have been serviced and inspected in preparation for the season. Way said the only thing left to do is finish putting up snow fencing, of which they use about 8 miles of, to help prevent drifting in rural areas.

Each year, the Kane County DOT uses about 8,000 tons of salt on average. Way said thanks to lighter winters in recent years, they have maintained a healthy supply of salt, with about 15,000 tons of salt currently on hand.

New technology is being used to better track conditions, which Way said will help road crews be better prepared, make better decisions, cut down response time and be more efficient with their routes and materials used.

Last year, Way’s department implemented the use of three mini weather stations, a new technology from Lake Forest company Frost Solutions. The stations can be deployed anywhere and provide live feeds of conditions, as well as road and air temperature readings, dew point, wind speeds and other technical measurements that can better predict the right time to lay salt and anti-ice.

This year, they added a fourth, and several Kane County municipalities and townships added their own. Way said there will be at least 20 of the mini-weather stations located around the county this year, and the data from each station will be shared to every agency that has one.

“We used it last year and it was very accurate,” Way said. “With the townships now adding some of theirs, it definitely will make it better to see conditions throughout the county and help us make better decisions throughout the winter.”

The feeds from the mini weather stations, as well as dash cams from plows, street cameras, and alerts from weather stations can all be broadcast simultaneously to the six TVs in Way’s office, which he calls his command center. The command center was first installed last winter, allowing Way to monitor live conditions all over the county and track weather reports from anywhere, all from one seat.

Campton Township Highway Commissioner Sam Gallucci said his department is also prepped and ready for winter, and has been since Halloween weekend.

The township’s fleet of 12 plows test drove their routes last week, and is ready to keep the 137 miles of roadway they cover in unincorporated Kane County and the Village of Campton Hills clear.

While Campton Township Highway Commission didn’t spring for any mini weather stations this year, it is implementing another type of new technology to make its operations more efficient.

Gallucci said his department treats roads with a mixture of salt and Beet Heet, a substance derived from beet juice, rather than calcium chloride like most departments. He said the beet-based concoction not only works better at sub-zero temperatures, but is non-caustic, meaning it’s easier on the roads, doesn’t erode your car or shoes and won’t harm your pets’ paws.

“We mix it here at the shop and that seems to work really well,” Gallucci said. “It melts the snow and ice a lot quicker, it works a whole lot better than calcium chloride at low temperatures, and it’s non-caustic.”

Gallucci said they are taking over some new subdivisions this year, but his crew is prepared and their equipment is ready to handle it. Every year they order about 2,000 tons of salt, and go through most of it.

St. Charles Public Works Manager AJ Reineking said his department has been ready since Halloween, but they have been enjoying the warmer November.

St. Charles runs 17 trucks at a time, and Reineking said driver training has been ongoing for about a month, to get the new drivers ready. His department covers over 150 miles of roadway every year.

“St. Charles takes its snow program pretty seriously, and they keep us well equipped to get the job done,” Reineking said. “With the opening of that First Street Plaza, the focus is going to be on pedestrian access, and making sure the plaza is open, even during winter events.”

Reineking said last winter was so mild, they still have plenty of salt stock left over for this year.

“I’m hoping to provide the same service that people have always been able to expect in St. Charles,” Reineking said. “We’re on top of the weather and keeping an eye on it just like everyone else.”