ODOT saves $10 million in salt costs for upcoming winter

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Changing the way salt contracts are obtained will save state and local governments more than $10 million this upcoming winter season, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).

In the past, ODOT asked salt companies to bid on contracts on a county-by-county basis. This year, the agency gave salt companies the option to provide bids on entire ODOT districts in addition to individual counties.

The result: a statewide savings of $13.11 per ton of salt, which adds up to more than $10.1 million.

"We never truly know what Mother Nature has in store for us each season, but one thing we do know is that ODOT will be fully prepared and our work this winter will cost Ohio taxpayers less money," said ODOT Director Jerry Wray in a news release. "This is yet another example of how we are demonstrating our success of identifying efficiencies here at ODOT so that we can provide the same great level of service to our customers but do it at a lower cost."

Last year, the state averaged $54.02 per ton of salt ordered. This year, the statewide average is $40.91 per ton. In addition to lower costs for ODOT, local governments will also realize significant savings because many of them combine their salt needs with ODOT's in order to improve purchasing power.

In addition to the lower price per ton, ODOT alone expects to purchase 209,000 tons less salt this coming winter. Since last year's winter was so mild, huge stockpiles of salt already exist.