Idaho Falls stocking up on road salt ahead of winter weather

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Despite the lack of snow in the area, Idaho Falls Street Division is preparing for winter with shipments of salt to be used in pre-treatment brines and after plowing.

The city's salt storage facility can hold 2,000 tons of road salt that is spread over Idaho Falls' 784 total miles of road throughout the winter. Through the year, the city spends an average of $125,000 on salt shipped from the Great Salt Lake.

Street Division superintendent Brian Cardon said that the salt makes the streets safer by melting ice and providing traction, but there are some other tips that drivers need to remember when driving on winter roads or near salting equipment:

"Anytime you see any kinds of accumulations on the streets, slow down–give yourself time to be safe," said Cardon. "If you see any of our equipment out moving, give us room to do our jobs... probably the best advice is if we have plows operating, don't try and pass them."

People can sign up for Idaho Falls snow removal alerts by texting 'snowIF' to 38276.