A warmer than average winter has left the city of East Lansing with thousands of tons of unused road salt in its storage facility, but the supply could drop this weekend if predictions of snow hold true.
The East Lansing Department of Public Works has dealt with one major blizzard this year — a late-November storm that covered the Lansing area with 8 to 10 inches of snow.
The lack of snow has left about 2,722 tons of road salt available to the city, said Public Works Administrator Angela Mabin.
To date, the department has spent about 15 to 20 percent of its snow removal budget, a small number compared to mid-January figures in past years, Mabin said.
The city normally budgets about $160,000 for snow removal, which does not include the cost of salt, East Lansing Director of Public Works Todd Sneathen said.
If any funding is left over in the snow removal budget, the leftover money is put toward maintaining streets in the city, Mabin said.
“During the course of winters over the years, it seems like it all evens out,” she said. “I suspect we’re going to have many snow events (during the rest of this winter).”
This weekend’s forecast from the National Weather Service called for the possibility of snow cover and icy roads starting Thursday night in parts of western Michigan.
But storms in the Lansing area will be fairly typical by Michigan standards, said T.J. Turnage, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids.
“It may seem a little extreme,” he said. “What we expect for (the Lansing area) is just some stuff that may slow travel a bit.”
Should snow start to accumulate quickly during the night, Mabin said the police department would alert the on-call supervisor, who then would call in a crew.
The crew size varies depending on the amount of snow, but four workers initially would be called to start snow removal, Mabin said.
Additional workers would be added to continue snow removal if necessary.
Crews first would start by clearing the city’s major streets before moving into neighborhood areas, Mabin said.
Some roadways already have been treated with liquid brine to prevent snow accumulation on the surface, Mabin said.
As city crews watch the skies for the possibility of snow, private snow removal contractors also are preparing to go to work.
“The whole winter wonderland exposure needs winter to happen,” said Charles Patterson, the owner of Quality Landscape Contractors, 1690 Chandler Road, in East Lansing. “It’s not just me, it’s a big, big industry.”
Snow-covered sidewalks in the next few days could hamper students trying to get to class, but journalism senior Nicholas Bryant said his transportation to campus won’t change much.
Bryant said he plans on continuing to bike to classes from his off-campus apartment at Abbott Place, 2501 Abbot Rd.
“For most people, it will (affect transportation),” he said. “I bike regardless.”
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