Several snow events have depleted the city’s supply to the point Murfreesboro Streets Department (MSD) Director Rick Templeton says his department will institute conservation measures the next time salting the roads is necessary.

The problem is lack of supply, Templeton said, and from the looks of it, Murfreesboro won’t be getting any more this season.

Templeton said his department has to conserve the just under 400 tons it has left for the next six to eight weeks of winter by salting only the problem areas like bridges, overpasses, hills and larger intersections.

“Like South Church Street approaching the Square,” the director said. “When people have to stop, they have a hard time getting going again. It’s those kinds of areas we’re talking about.

“Then we’ll depend on the police and dispatchers to notify us of problem areas and we’ll respond to take care of those,” he continued. “These measures should require only about 60 tons per event instead of the 350 required to ‘blanket’ the city and could get us through two or three more snow events.

“And we’ll just have to depend on how people are driving so much better in the snow,” he continued.

Templeton was quick to point out how Murfreesboro drivers are getting better at driving in inclement weather. He added that during this most recent event, he traveled the city’s streets for eight hours straight and noticed only one wreck.
“These days they slow down and take their time,” he said. “And some of it may have to do with the type vehicles people are driving these days.

“There are very few rear-wheel-drive vehicles these days,” he said. “Most are front-wheel, all-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicles which handle driving in slick conditions much easier.”

 Of course, Templeton admitted, if conservation measures don’t work and the city runs out of salt completely, a likely alternative will be spreading sand but that has many downsides including having to pick it back up, possibly with the department’s street sweepers.

“If we can possibly avoid that,” the director said, “I’d sure like to.”

Including the costs of labor, salt and fuel, Murfreesboro spent $45,261.61 on two major events that occurred Dec. 12 and 13 and Dec. 25 and 26, department records show. Because a substantial portion of the city’s road salt goes on state routes, the city’s maintenance contract with Tennessee calls for reimbursement of $24,792.08, leaving $20,479.43 in actual cost to the city.

Costs for this most recent snow storm have not been tabulated yet, mainly because Rollins Excavating Company, with which the city has an annual contract for paving and other road work like snow removal, had not by today provided its costs to the city.
Rollins is rarely called in unless there is a major event, Templeton said. When it is, there is an hourly rate for the use of different types of machinery.
Despite the shortage, the price of road salt has actually gone down from last year, Templeton said.
“Right now, we’re paying $66.15 a ton for salt,” he said. “That’s the State of Tennessee’s bid price and it’s come down a little from last year’s $66.27 per ton,” he said. “We’ve just had one delivery this year and it’s not likely we’ll get more.

There are primarily two suppliers of road salt, Templeton explained, Morton Salt Company and North American Salt Company, both of which mine their own. Most is shipped by barge.

“We called Morton and they aren’t accepting any more clients,” Templeton said, “and North American Salt Company tells me we won’t be getting any more; we don’t have any choice but to try and conserve.”