Ohio's snow plow plight
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A snow plow clears off an Ohio state route after a 2014 storm. Photo: Mark Duncan/AP
Winterize your tires, tranquilize your mind and prepare for modest delays on Ohio's highways this winter.
- There's a snow plow driver shortage, folks.
The latest: Around two dozen vacancies remain for full-time highway technicians within the two Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) districts that comprise central Ohio.
- These drivers are tasked with plowing state and federal routes outside municipal boundaries.
- ODOT's plowing jurisdiction includes 43,000 total lane miles statewide, divided into 12 districts.
Why it matters: ODOT has a stated goal of plowing all primary routes thoroughly enough that motorists can safely travel at posted speed limits within two hours of the end of snowfall, but the lack of snow plow drivers will make this more difficult to achieve.
- The state met that goal nearly every time last winter, press secretary Matt Bruning tells Axios.
- But ongoing staffing woes will mean some roadways may take three hours or longer to clear this winter, depending on the snowfall's location and severity.
What they're saying: "Where we'd really feel the pinch is if there were a statewide snow event for a long duration," Bruning says, noting that drivers can be shuffled across districts to pitch in during more isolated events.
- "Our goal is passable, not perfect."
State of play: ODOT's staffing shortage mirrors those in other industries, as truck drivers with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) are in increasingly high demand.
- To fight fire with fire, the agency is hiring highway maintenance workers and paying for them to obtain CDLs.
- On top of its full-time highway techs and seasonal plow operators, the agency will also, on rare occasions, conscript into service employees from other departments who have their CDLs.
The big picture: "This is not unique to Ohio," Bruning says. "It's a universal thing."
- No kidding. ODOT isn't even the country's only ODOT with the exact same issue.
The intrigue: Our ODOT isn't the only local agency turning to creative methods to keep the roadways clean.
- The Franklin County Board of Commissioners plans to authorize its "Cornstalks for Snow Fence" program today at a cost of $20,000.
- The county will compensate farmers for leaving cornstalks standing in fields that border designated roadways in order to help block snow from drifting across them.