BUCYRUS — As the weather turns colder, the Ohio Department of Transportation is making ready for whenever a midwestern winter storm appears.
Officials from the ODOT District 3 office were present Tuesday morning at the Crawford County ODOT garage for the annual pre-winter vehicle inspection.
The annual operations readiness inspection ensures the 20 vehicles, including 14 plow trucks can properly be operated on the roadways during inclement weather.
During the inspection, mechanics assigned by the district office perform a 150-point inspection on the plow trucks and perform inspections on vehicles such as front-end loaders and pickup trucks.
The mechanics check points such as plow edges, engine points, safety lights and salt spreader mechanisms. Safety department officials check items like seatbelts, fire extinguishers and road flares in the vehicles.
During the 2018-19 winter season, Crawford County snow plow drivers drove 108,656 miles and spent 10,831 collective hours on the road.
Crawford County used 7,665 tons of salt on the roads. Ohio used 746,888 tons of salt during last season.
The 17 ODOT plow drivers in Crawford County will alternate between eight- and 12-hour shifts as needed during the winter months.
ODOT District 3 includes Crawford, Richland, Huron, Ashland, Wayne, Medina, Lorain and Erie counties.