Winter is Coming, Road Salt has Arrived in the Copper Country

The unofficial sign of winter was dropped off in the Keweenaw peninsula yesterday evening. Last night the Alogma Conveyor dropped off this season’s salt for the different counties and municipalities road commissions. This year the Houghton County Road commission has ordered 1,400 tons of road salt. About the average the county goes through each winter. The price of salt rose this year, but not as much as other materials and equipment the road commission purchases. The county paid $72.82 a ton for the salt. The second ingredient to the road mixture is easier for the county to source. For many years, road commissions have mixed salt with stamp sands for creating better traction for vehicles in the snow and icy conditions. Houghton County’s mixture is made with three to five percent salt, with the stamp sands sourced from the gay sands deposit. Transporting the sand to the commissions Ripley location costs $8.55 per cubic yard, and transferring the sand to the Kenton garage costs $20.39 per cubic yard. Each year Houghton County goes through approximately 10,500 cubic yards of sand for the roads.

The Houghton County Road Commission will likely seek a few more seasonal snow plow operators. For the position, applicants will need to have a Class A CDL license. Contact the Road Commission to inquire about open positions, or go to their website.