IDOT to hold the salt this winter

The big dog of winter road clearing agencies will be spreading the salt with more caution this year due to high prices.

Milton Sees, secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, announced Monday during a news conference on winter preparations that salt conservation practices will be instituted.

"This conservation effort will allow us to better utilize the resources available to IDOT and still provide a safe means of travel," he said in a statement.

IDOT joins a growing list of communities in the Chicago area reconsidering salt usage because of prices that in some cases have more than tripled. Sees did not outline specifics, although other entities plan to use less salt less often.

"That's not to say we're doing anything less. It's adjusting," said Marisa Kollias, an IDOT spokesperson.

The agency has 3,900 employees and more than 1,900 pieces of equipment to deploy as needed. Last year, IDOT spent more than $86 million on snow removal efforts.

"IDOT has a proven track record of effective, timely snow and ice removals from our roadways, and this year will be no different," Sees said.

The agency used nearly 322,000 tons of salt last winter season, compared with the previous high the last five years of about 197,000 tons in 2006-07.

Motorists were reminded to be prepared for bad driving conditions and to allow enough time to get where they're going.

High prices have prompted many communities say they will conserve salt. However, because the practice is voluntary, there could be differences road conditions from place to place.