In 2023, York DPW responded to 18 severe winter storm events in addition to the typical daily weather conditions expected throughout the winter season. To help keep our roads safe and drivable last year, York DPW purchased over 4,000 tons of road salt.
Sodium chloride (NaCl), or road salt, remains the most used and most cost-effective material to de-ice roads. Salt used with physical snow removal (plowing) remains the dominant winter snow and ice road treatment method throughout the state of Maine. However, it’s important to know that sodium chloride loses effectiveness at temperatures below 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
York DPW plow operators are on call 24/7 during storms to remove snow and ice, often working through the night so you can get where you need to go the next day. Major arterial roadways, hills, and intersections are often treated with salt before plowing operations begin. Each truck also has computerized ground control for salt distribution where the speed and amount of salt spread slows with the decreased speed of the vehicle.
Our Plow teams concentrate first on major roadways and connectors to move traffic along before heading into residential areas. Each Plow Driver has a specific route that they salt/plow for every storm and each route takes approximately three and a half hours to complete.
