New salt dome in works for Lake County
Although it's early August, Lake County already is preparing for another snowplowing season.
Nearly $890,000 would be spent to build a second salt storage dome at the county's Division of Transportation complex on Winchester Road in Libertyville. Officials said a lack of road salt storage capacity was evident during this year's harsh winter.
If the full county board approves the expenditure, construction could begin within a couple of weeks, said Kevin Kerrigan, engineer of maintenance for the transportation division.
"It would increase our capacity by 100 percent," Kerrigan said.
Lake County isn't alone in seeking extra salt capacity, which would allow larger shipments in the winter and provide a better chance of not running out during a major storm.
Gurnee plans a new storage facility on the village's west side, which Mayor Kristina Kovarik deemed necessary after salt supplies dwindled and roads looked untouched during a 14-inch snowstorm Feb. 6.
Responsible for busy thoroughfares such as Butterfield Road, Lake County has been using one 10,000-ton-capacity salt storage dome since 1992. Kerrigan said the number of roads under county jurisdiction has grown by 35 percent in the past 16 years, but keeping them clear in a snowstorm becomes difficult because the space for salt hasn't kept pace.
"You start running out after a big storm," Kerrigan said, "a salt company only has so much (delivery) capacity."
Michigan-based Dome Corp. of North America would build the new 11,000-ton-capacity salt facility in Libertyville for $889,650. While the price tag appears steep. Kerrigan said, much goes into the construction of a salt dome.
Plans call for the county's new dome to have 11-foot-high concrete walls and a conveyor that can move 250 tons of salt an hour.
Construction on the county's salt facility would take about four months, Kerrigan said. Dome Corp., which county officials found to be the lone responsible bidder for the project, would be required to have it completed by February at the latest.