Take compacted snow, mix with wind, and add black ice and decreasing temperatures and that’s the recipe for dangerous driving.

It’s also the recipe for exhaustive work keeping roadways and city streets clear and safe for motorists.

“We’ve already used 4,000 tons of sand and salt mixture this winter,” said Jon W. Erichson. “Normally, we will use 3,000 tons in the entire winter season.”

According to the Austin director of public works, the city has used 1,500 tons of sand and salt mixture already in 2009. That’s only 14 days.

The early winter weather put a dent in Erichson’s snow-ice removal budget in late-2008.

The current weather with almost nightly snowfalls that require morning-after clearing will make their own impact.

“We probably won’t see that impact until late this year,” Erichson mused.

When a major snowfall does occur, Erichson’s workers have 140 miles of city streets and alleys to clear.

The department will put 12 plowing trucks on the road and one especially assigned to designated alleys.

There will also be five loaders and two motorgraders, plus the giant snow-blowers.

Because of reduction in personnel, the department will be forced to recruit city workers from the Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, water and sanitary sewer departments.

But, perhaps, the most valuable “tool” in the city’s arsenal each winter is the sand and salt mixture applied to street intersections.

According to Erichson, the mixture is 90 percent sand and 10 percent salt.

The city purchases the materials in a giant cooperative composed of cities and counties working with a state bid.

Thus far, the city has had to deal with one to three inches of new snowfall rather than the four to five inches that may call for the city ordinance’s snow emergency declaration.

According to Erichson, the “dry snow” has allowed city crews to clear more roadways more quickly.

The down side, Erichson said, is the snow leaves a compacted, almost-polished surface that is treacherous to pedestrians and vehicles.

That’s where the sand-salt mixture is needed.

The city’s street department is “extremely busy” every day, during winter, the public works director said. “Our shop stays very busy at this time of the year,” he said.

Thus, a severe winter can take its toll on workers and the machines they operate.

For the city, that could mean extra expenses in the form of overtime wages due to Mother Nature’s winter wrath.

$60 a ton

Mower County highway department engineer Mike Hanson just ordered 300 more tons of the sand-salt mixture.

“At about $60 a ton, that adds up in a hurry,” Hanson said.

The Mower County highway department has 400 miles or 800 lane miles of roadways to keep clear and safe for driving.

The challenge posed by the latest round of winter storms is that it leaves a polished sheet of compacted snow and black ice on the roadways.

When temperatures drop to below 10 degrees above zero, the salt becomes ineffective.

This, in turn, means the sand portion of the mixture is more valuable at giving motorists a surface to grip with vehicle tires.

When a highway department runs out of sand or salt, it must wait for a new order to be delivered. “That’s why we try to help each other out,” Hanson said. “We will borrow from our neighbors.”

Unlike the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Mower County does not apply a 100 percent salt substance or other chemical.

It is tempting for some rural residents to clear their private driveways and deposit the snow at the end of driveways on the traveled portion of the roadway.

When that happens, it is Mower County policy to visit with the errant resident face-to-fact, according to Hanson.

If that doesn’t work to bring a halt to the dangerous practice of depositing snow on the roadway, the resident will receive a letter.

The city has a different sort of problem.

Because its plows now are equipped with “wings,” it poses new challenges for the truck drivers.

And, because of the frequent snowfalls, the city’s plows are pushing snow onto boulevards already piled high with snow. The snow frequently topples over on residents’ sidewalks.

This problem is compounded when residents “blow” snow from sidewalks or driveways into streets.

Wherever one goes, city streets or county highways, the MDOT reminds all motorists to follow safe winter driving practices including: Keep a safe distance between vehicles and leave extra room between vehicles and snow plows or other removal equipment.

For state-wide travel and road conditions call 5-1-1 or log on to www.511mn.org