The months of November through February are marked by a number of holidays. They are also months in which travel is most often affected by unpredictable weather and related events. Department of Highways District 3 employees are prepared to clear a path through snow and ice no matter when inclement weather may occur -- on holidays, at night or on weekends.

District 3 includes Logan County along with Warren, Barren, Butler, Metcalfe, Monroe, Allen, Todd, Edmonson and Simpson counties.

“We have 154 snow plow drivers trained and ready so we can maintain the continuous clean-up efforts in a timely fashion. This number includes contract drivers as well,” stated Keirsten Jaggers, Public Information Officer for District 3.

District-wide there are 77 trucks available for snow and ice events and 17 contract trucks. In the ten counties covered by the Bowling Green District Office, there are approximately 18,987 tons of rock salt, 67,387 gallons of liquid calcium chloride and 66,750 gallons of salt brine, according to Kent Gilley, Operations Branch Manager.

“We actually make the salt brine in Warren County and then it is transported to the other counties and stored in tanks until needed,” said Gilley.

Currently, Edmonson County does not have a storage tank but is scheduled to receive one within the next year.

The rock salt and liquid calcium chloride are purchased through vendors while the salt brine is produced in the district and used in nine counties. The salt brine is an anti-icing agent that can be applied before the precipitation occurs. District 3 crews were out Tuesday applying the brine on I-65, both parkways and all 4-lane highways in preparation of the forecasted snow showers.

“Other tools used include 39 roadway weather information stations that provide data regarding temperature, pavement condition, air temperature, dew point, wind speed and direction and precipitation,” stated Nancy Albright, Director for Maintenance.

This information if funneled electronically to a central operations center in Frankfort, manned 24 hours a day. The Cabinet also utilizes a direct satellite weather feed to properly track the storms and oversee snow and ice removal efforts statewide. Seven permanent variable message boards along I-65 and the Natcher Parkway provide a continuous view of road conditions to District 3 staff as well as providing information to the traveling public during inclement weather.

Cabinet personnel are on call 24 hours and are called out at the first sign of inclement weather. Roadways are cleared based on traffic volumes, with the more traveled roadways (interstate, parkways and primary roads) cleared first. Generally, the Cabinet is responsible for cleaning all state-maintained highways. County and city crews across the state, likewise, fight the battle locally. Listed below are the priority routes for each county within District 3.