Mannix Porterfield
Rising salt prices are elevating concerns on the West Virginia Turnpike, now that winter has made an early invasion.
Wintry conditions have assaulted southern counties the past two weeks, and Turnpike Manager Greg Barr is wondering just how far he can stretch salt supplies, especially if early snows are a portent of a bleak winter season looming.
“We’re challenged more because of the high price of salt,” Barr said Tuesday.
“That has limited our ability to buy as much as we might normally have. We’re trying to conserve our salt by using liquid calcium. We’re pre-wetting salt with liquid calcium. That reduces the banking when it hits the road. The salt stays on the road better instead of banking into the shoulder and the grass.”
In a worst-case scenario, West Virginia could fall into one of those 15- or 20-year cycles when snows are frequent and nasty, putting a heavier-than-normal demand on the turnpike’s inventory. The 88-mile toll road had bins half full when winter issued its first shrill blast.
“If we have an average winter, we feel we’ll be fine,” Barr said.
“We budgeted $800,000 for salt, so we didn’t have to buy as much. If we had had to fill our bins, it would have cost $3.5 million, and we don’t have that kind of money. Salt is so expensive now. We’re trying to use it as efficiently as possible.”
Falling gas prices have done little to encourage more travel on the toll road, where transactions have remained at a steady 5 percent drop-off since Thanksgiving a year ago. Gas stood at $2.09 locally as of Tuesday after spiking at more than $4 a gallon earlier.
“We’ve not seen any increase in traffic in relation to lower gas prices,” Barr said.
“I think what we’re seeing here is not just one factor affecting traffic. Not only is it gas prices, but it’s the economy. People are retrenching a bit. They’re talking about not spending as much for Christmas. It’s the uncertainty for the future and the economic conditions. People are cutting back and travel is one of those areas where we’re seeing a cutback.”
Truckers make up the bulk of turnpike travel and are obligated to make deliveries, but if the economy worsens, even trucking outfits will be sending fewer rigs out, Barr predicted.
“If the economy is slowing down, then there’s less freight to haul,” he said.
“It’s got an effect on trucking. It filters on down the line. If you’re buying less inventory or if you’re expecting less business, then there’s less shipping going on.”
Barr’s staff is gearing up for the busiest time of the year — the long Thanksgiving weekend. And Sunday is the real crunch time.
“People leave at different times, head out for Thanksgiving, but most everybody comes back on Sunday,” he said.
Turnpike crews are gearing up in familiar fashion — putting a full complement of tollbooth workers on the job and keeping others on call in case of sickness or emergency, having the tandem booths ready for use and asking travelers via the overhead message boards to avoid the time frame of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday and have correct fare ready.
In a normal hour, toll takers can process 2,400 vehicles, but in busier times, the traffic swells to 3,500.
“When you’ve got that many coming at you, that’s when you’re prone to have some backups,” Barr said.
“The key is to react quickly and not have any changing over at lanes. We also have flaggers out there to remind people to get in the proper lane when they approach the plazas. We pray that there’s no accidents. Any time you have an accident, even if it’s a small one, that slows everything down, not only the rubberneckers but just when you see those taillights flashing on, that has an effect on the traffic miles behind.”
Christmas normally isn’t as heavy traffic-wise as Thanksgiving, except when it falls near the weekend, and this year it comes on Thursday, meaning some folks likely have arranged Friday off as well for an extended holiday break.
“We’ll be geared up for Christmas, too,” Barr said. “We gear up for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
