CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Preparation is key for the City of Charleston Public Works Department in the next month.
Preparation for the winter weather season in the city got underway Friday morning by the department with a “dry run” with salt trucks and testing equipment.
Public Works Director Brent Webster told 580-WCHS AM the testing will ensure all equipment is in working order in the event of inclement weather.
“We go through and check all of our lighting, our hydraulics, all the equipment. Inevitability we find things at night that are broken down or need replacement. We try to get in front of the winter,” he said.
Webster, who calls the event “The Salt Parade,” said there are 17 routes that will be driven on Friday. There are also a few other spare trucks for backup.
Webster said the department has about 7,000 tons of salt to begin the season and will replenish if need be.
“They will all go out and run their routes. We have a lot of new drivers and even for the veterans, it’s good to see if the route has changed a lot. Sometimes there is construction, sometimes there are infrastructure changes that we want to make notes of,” Webster said.
He added, “Our goal is to keep these roads safe so our visitors, our residents and workers can get through our town in a safe manner.”