CLEVELAND — Although winter doesn't officially arrive until Dec. 21, the Ohio Department of Transportation shared an update Monday morning on how their team is preparing to battle snow and ice in Northeast Ohio.
Brent Kovacs, the Public Information Officer for ODOT District 12, tells 3News they are "in a better position" than the past couple of years when it comes to staffing.
"We’re about 10 full-time drivers short and we’re about half of what we need for our seasonal drivers," he said. "We are getting folks hired this year, and we're definitely in a better spot this year than we were last year."
And when it comes to supplies, Kovacs says their team is all set.
"We have plenty of salt on hand," Kovacs explains. "Last year we used over 60,000 tons of salt on the roads, over 800,000 gallons of salt brine here on the roads in District 12. But remember, when those road conditions start to deteriorate, slow down, give yourself extra time to reach your destination and please give extra space between the vehicles that you’re driving around.”
ODOT District 12 provides service to Cuyahoga, Geauga and Lake counties -- including the greater Cleveland region.
"Headquartered in Garfield Heights, the district maintains over 3,000 lane miles of interstate, federal and state highways and 912 bridges throughout its three-county region," according to ODOT's site.
