Madison uses this brief “warm” spell to use salt on roads

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The brief (relatively) warm spell this week will give Madison’s Streets Division a brief respite and allow it to lay salt on city streets to clear the layer of compacted snow that covers them. On Thursday, crews are going to head out for a “spot-salting” effort that will see them pour salt where it is needed.

“Not only that, the favorable temperatures will be sustained, giving time for salt to loosen the hard packed snow, and allowing Streets Division crews time to loop through the routes again to plow off the now melting snow from the road,” Streets Superintendent Charlie Romines added.

According to the Streets Division, they were not able to start Wednesday because the thermometer has not been high enough for long enough for the salt to be effective. As of early Wednesday afternoon, the forecast calls for another day with highs in the 20s. Those temps will end sharply Thursday night when the mercury plummets into the negative digits, leading into a First Alert Day on Friday.

Romines statement on Wednesday emphasized this week’s “spot-salting” is different than what the city normally does when it snows. In this instance, crews will only tackle salt routes, including roads used by Madison Metro, around schools, and near emergency services. They will only target specifically spots where snow still sits on drive lanes. If a lane is clear or there is only a small strip between the drive lines, they plan to skip it. After the salt is deposited, plows will come through to sweep the snow away.

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