Photo by Josh Jambor. Crews from the Alpena Road Commission return to the garage on Monday afternoon. Salt usage has increased for local municipalities this season due to a busy winter.

ALPENA – We are 37 days away from the official start of spring.

For local road commissions that means their salt supply is dwindling and decisions whether to replenish their stock will have to be made.

Salt for the road plays a big role in maintaining public safety, especially during the winter months. Salt prevents snow from bonding to the pavement and increases tire traction.

According to Michigan.gov, as a state we use approximately two million tons of road salt each year. Nationally, per epa.gov, an estimated 15 to 32 million metric tons of salt is used each year.

Presque Isle County Road Commission Superintendent David Kowalski said this winter season and salt usage increased this winter compared to previous years.

“We started the winter with completely full salt sheds, we also ordered back up salt to keep up with the demand,” Kowalski said. ” We have used more than previous years due to the amount of snow we have been receiving.”

Kowalski is hopeful that Presque Isle County has enough salt to last the remainder of the season.

“Being that we are in mid-February, I feel we have enough on hand to finish out the winter,” he said.

Ryan Brege, managing director of the Alpena County Road Commission, said he is unsure if more salt will be needed, but if the need arises, the road commission is ready to act.

“We typically order a certain amount of salt based on past usage prior to winter,” Brege said. “We do have a plan in place to order backup salt if we begin to run low.”

Brege added that they have had to order additional salt, but they should have enough now to get through the remainder of the season.

“Typically, when we do order more salt, it is enough to get us through the rest of the season, but anything can happen in regard to severe weather,” Brege said.

Much like Presque Isle, this season has been busier for Brege and his crew, than most years in recent memory.

“It has been a busy winter as far as winter maintenance goes,” Brege said. “We have spent far more time maintaining roads this year than we have the past few years.”