Highway Crews Gear Up For Winter's Arrival
READING (CBS) -- No one wants to think about it, but it's coming: winter is only a few weeks away.
On Saturday the head of the state highway department held a press briefing at a highway depot in Reading to let Bay Staters know his crews are ready for the snow and cold.
"The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and our vendors are already getting prepared for another season," Frank DePaola said. "We're hoping for the best and planning for the worst."
All of the nearly 4,000 plows and sanders set to hit the road in the next few months are being inspected by MassDOT mechanics to make sure they're in safe operating conditions.
MassDOT has also increased their high-tech capabilities on the highways.
"We've installed more sensors on the roadways so we watch the actual pavement temperatures at key locations and know when we need to go out there and start pre-treating with chemicals to prevent icing and black ice on the highways," DePaola said.
Salt is also being stockpiled at MassDOT depots. About 300,000 tons of salt have already been delivered –that's the average use for half of a year.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports:
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