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Florida DOT Has Snow Plows On The Ready
January 23, 2016
A few very light snow flurries fell in portions of the North Escambia area Friday night…with no accumulation. But if the snow had accumulated, the Florida Department of Transportation would have been ready.
Back in 2014, FDOT purchased snow plows, salt and spreaders for use in Northwest Florida The purchases came on the heels of a freak ice storm in January 2014 that paralyzed the area.
The DOT spent $22,000 for five snow plows that will attach to the front of current DOT vehicles, $12,400 for 42 tons of salt, $26,400 for 10 salt spreaders to attach to dump trucks and $26,400 for 4,400 gallons of the ice-melting chemical potassium acetate.
The equipment can be used in mutual aid effort in other areas, and the snow plows can be used to remove beach sand from the roads after strong storms and hurricanes.
“FDOT is ready for winter weather,” the department posted on Twitter on Friday.
Pictured above: One of FDOT’s snow plows. Pictured inset: Two jack-knifed 18-wheelers on an icy Highway 29 south of Century and (below) an impassable Highway 97 near Davisville in January 2014. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
24 Responses to “Florida DOT Has Snow Plows On The Ready”
REGARDING:
42 tons of salt isn’t even a lot… It’s less than what my little town would use during one ice event.”
Nonetheless, it is believed to be the reason the Flint River released the lead in the water system, poisoning the children.
Also, cars around here aren’t undercoated to protect from corrosion. I suspect it would eat up many a vehicle.
Last resort.
David for conservation
I’m from the North where we get heavy snow, although for a brief time I was in Florida during a snow event. My opinion is that plows are vital.
I should also note, the trucks won’t be sitting as they didn’t buy new trucks, they bought plows for their current trucks.
Plows for pickups aren’t wide enough to clear a road efficiently. I think they should have also bought bigger plows.
Salty air won’t be melting ice off the pavement.
42 tons of salt isn’t even a lot… It’s less than what my little town would use during one ice event.
Be prepared.
Talk about the proverbial drop in the bucket, five plows may be able to clear the interstate around Tallahassee. Having spent some time driving in the colder parts of our country, I can say that they have armies of plows, and mountains of salt waiting for snow like we had a few years ago. Spending all that money on plows in Fl. was a terrible waste of money.
I agree there is not enough snow and ice on our roads to demand this expenditure. What we have to focus on is the ever expanding culture of offended people, ever in need of taxpayer support, to aid their “unplanned” families. Where is the public outcry.?
People are more concerned with paying less taxes than maintaining the infrastructure they depend on. All across the USA roads, bridges, water pipes and power grids are aging and failing but nobody wants to pay the price to make it any better until it turns into a disaster. Problems like this are just waiting to happen everywhere, USA.
So what were they doing to remove sand all the way up to this point and why wasn’t it working? This seems like someone has a relative that owns a Snow plow company that needed some taxpayer money to me. The deicing agent didn’t we already have that so we just got more. The salt really guys with all the salt in the air around here we did not need anymore especially that much. What is the shelf life on these type of items and just where are we storing them? How much does that cost?
“The front mount plows are for pushing fluffy/slushy snow.
They do not have the down pressure required to scrape ice off the road.”
Which is most likely and therefore most likely to be useful.
Also consider all the millions of reflectors apt to be scraped off if ever used.
They shouldn’t be, but I have heard there are sometimes workers who aren’t diligent about everything.
Let’s see, a knife blade sheet spray of water able to cut and melt the ice, a vacuum to suck it up, reheat it and use it again, a knife blade sheet of heated air to blow dry the road and remove any remaining moisture ere it freezes — also reused to reduce heating costs.
Call the Patent Office.
David for better ways
Please avoid the use of the salt if at all possible.
Be absolutely sure the benefits outweigh the cost.
David for fresh water
Plow says Snow Dog.
I say it’s snow good around here.
Glad to see Florida has those! They are great for pushing sand out of the way too. and other debris. Sorry so many negative nancies are on here whining. Goodness nows we need them at Ft Pickens often to remove sand, and also whenever roads flod to remove sand and debris. And if we ever do get iced over again? Nice to know they are good for that too!
Where does FDOT keep 42 tons of salt in Florida’s humidity – a climate controlled warehouse? What a waste of our tax dollars. The true cost of this boone doggle will probably never be given to the public.
The front mount plows are for pushing fluffy/slushy snow.
They do not have the down pressure required to scrape ice off the road.
Or beach sand.
It would have been much wiser to spend the funds on belly blades that mount under the dump truck frame and can virtually lift the truck off the ground which means they can get thru and scrape the ice off the road. As well as snow as deep as the axles.
Those same belly blades can also be used year round to do light grading on dirt roads.
Pushing sand off the roads after a storm with those front mount plows? haha good luck with that.
That plow is made for Snow removal ,snow like they are getting up north right now , not a flurry spotted somewhere floating to the ground every couple of years ,and it will do next to nothing for ice on the roads that is what a salt spreader is for Salt melts ice and if we ever do get a decent amount of snow use the ones you use for the sand that you already have instead of wasting money on more of them .
Bob C. – Those “Up Nawth” citizens aren’t working to clear the roads for their health. They are getting paid!!! You people are really a joke!
… Correction…. $87,000… missed the salt amount. Still excellent investment. (I know there will be someone to point that mistake out.)
Every watch an ambulance responding to a call slide backwards down a froen hill on Highway 29? I have.
A little investment in the snow plows could save lives, perhaps yours.
What a waste of my tax money. My guess is they PAY for someone to be on standby with the darn thing too. LOL
If you don’t pay your taxes you go to jail. If they waste your tax money its okay!!!
On a trip, years ago, up Nawth we saw 4×4 pickup trucks outfitted with some sort of heavy metal contraption on the front bumper area and big lights mounted on top of that.
Asked my friend what those were and the reply was, “Oh those are privately owned snow plows and the people use them to scrape snow and some ice off the roadways in their neighborhoods or on a roadway”.
With the minimal amount of snow we get here every several years it seems some simple rig like that on a pickup would work fine and on non-snow times could be used as any other truck.
Agree with the knee-jerk reaction that the Florida Snow Plows are a waste of time, equipment, storage space and especially a squandering of Public Taxes.
TB, they bought snow plow attachments, not new trucks…. I think it was a smart idea to be prepared since there is always a fool that wants to joy ride during a freak 100-year ice storm. Then, emergency crews have to get out in those conditions to save their stupid butt. Our first responders are very hard working taxpayers and I’m sure that their families think that $75,000 is a very smart investment for their lives. I don’t think one penny is wasted on being prepared. I would definitely want the roads to be clear if someone I love had a medical emergency during conditions like that. Very smart planning.
The article states that the blades can be used to remove beach sand from roadways after a hurricane. It also says they plows that attach to existing trucks. Funny, I’m sure the same people that are being critical about the purchase of these ” wasteful” items become just as critical if the Government wasn’t ready to dig you out if a freak snow storm hit. I’m also curious, if a freak snow storm did hit, where would you suggest they look to rent a snow plow?
I’m not a big proponent of the way our local government spends money. However, it does appear to me that this had a little forethought behind it. Yes, the north end of the county has been known to get snow on rare occasions, the roads have the potential to ice over every year, and we also have the issue of sand blowing across roads regularly, especially the beach roads. Dollar wise, this wasn’t a huge expenditure, and it does seem they decided the plows could pull double duty.
Thankfully so far, we haven’t had a need for them for snow, though I do recall just hearing about a storm blowing sand across the road to Ft. Pickens.
People in this area wreck with a light rain, keeping any snow and ice off the roads is imperative.
What a wast of hard working taxpayers money .
I don’t find it funny TB. I find it wasteful. A shameful misuse of tax payers money.
I got my snow shovel ready to go ! !
Really? Instead of buying one be a lot cheaper to have rent a truck if needed in future. It’s going sit along time. Snow maybe twice in 25 -30 years ice on roads for first time ever this is funny.