Kane County DOT reports heavy winter activity, dash-cam rollout and a plow-semi collision; salt usage up slightly

Kane County Department of Transportation staff reported ongoing winter operations, a recent plow truck collision with a semi and expanded vehicle telematics during the Transportation Committee meeting.

KDOT maintenance staff said county crews had been dispatched 12 times this season as of Jan. 9 and had used approximately 1,600 tons of salt; the prior season figure had been about 1,500 tons after 11 events. "We're 1 of that. We will maybe use a little bit more because of colder times like a day like today," the presenter said, noting the numbers are guidelines and the department is working to reduce salt use with liquid treatments and GPS monitoring.

Staff described a Jan. 14 incident in which a semi passed a southbound plow on Orchard Road at U.S. 30, struck the plow's wing and fled; the plow sustained an estimated $10,000–$12,000 damage and was out of service for the day. "Everyone's okay," the presenter said. The county captured the event on dash-cam, although early-morning lighting prevented reading the semi’s license plate.

KDOT also said last year eight dash cameras were piloted and this season dash cameras were installed in every plow truck; cameras can be redeployed to the summer fleet. Staff said GPS and camera integration sends automatic alerts to supervisors and to county staff when a potential crash is detected. The county pays about $25,000–$30,000 a year for the GPS system.

Committee members praised the maintenance staff and were invited to tour the transportation center and consider ride-alongs to observe snow-operations.