Portland may get a rare third chance this winter to hone its snow response, and transportation officials say new procedures — and tons of salt — will help make this one swifter.
If another winter storm materializes as forecast Thursday afternoon, the city will expand its test use of road salt and expand plow routes to include more neighborhood streets, including key routes for school buses.
Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who oversees the transportation commission, said the city purchased 100 tons of rock salt for $20,000. The salt will be applied to three hilly routes as part of a test run.
City crews will add 340 lane miles to their plow routes; that’s a 30 percent increase over the 1,120 lane miles they typically clear.
Nonetheless, officials urged Portlanders to avoid travel or take transit, particularly if snow is followed by freezing rain.
The transportation agency also will request $1.2 million for snow-clearing equipment, as well as $1.6 million a year in ongoing budget allocations for snow response.
Portland’s first snowstorm of the year came in the middle of a workday, prompting thousands to head home early. The exodus clogged roads for hours; some drivers ditched their cars, leaving them littered in traffic lanes.
That left residents cautious ahead of the second storm, and many stayed home. The snow was left on the roads to ice over, and freezing conditions meant it didn’t melt for days.
The city started using road salt during the last storm, courtesy of Seattle road crews sent in to help. The transportation bureau said it was no more effective than their preferred de-icer, magnesium chloride, but that it would continue testing.
The state has been using salt near the California border since 2012. It’s now using salt in limited applications in the Portland metro area, though it still relies heavily on magnesium chloride before and during storms.
The state transportation department, however, says its tests have shown that the salt reduces crashes and results in fewer road closures and chain restrictions.
