Ames, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Transportation is making the transition into its winter operation phase. Winter operations director and former northwest Iowan, Craig Bargfrede, says they will gradually refit equipment from construction maintenance work to be ready for winter.
The DOT has 101 maintenance garages across the state that house 902 trucks, 42 motor graders, 27 tow plows, and 11 heavy-duty, self-propelled snowblowers.
The department buys salt during the spring and summer when prices are lower to have it ready for winter use.
While you might buy a one-pound bag of salt for your driveway — the D-O-T buys truckloads.
They spread salt and sand and also use 28 million gallons of salt brine to treat the roads during the winter. The department has more than one-thousand fulltime employees — and Bargfrede says they are also searching for some more people to work this winter.
He says many of the added winter workers come from other occupations that are seasonal.
Bargfrede encourages anyone who is interested to check out their winter work opportunities.
Bargfrede says he gets asked all the time when he expects the first snow — and says he doesn’t have a crystal ball to predict that — he just wants his crews ready when it hits.
