Whitehall’s public works crew is prepared to battle the winter weather woes on the township’s roadways. Salt is stockpiled, and snow plows are ready.

Township public works Director John Rackus said recently the two large roof-covered storage sheds on the township campus are filled to the brim with road salt.

With 1,000 tons of road salt stored in the sheds, Rackus said he is confident his personnel are prepared 24/7 to deal with whatever the winter brings.

The good news is the township, with a state contract in place, will be paying $55 a ton for the material, down approximately $17 to $18 a ton from last winter. The contract is with Morton Salt.

The township has 130 miles of roads to clear of snow or ice. Rackus said crews make multiple passes on each roadway to be sure the snow is removed.

The fleet of township vehicles includes eight dump trucks with plows and 11 pickup trucks.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is responsible for removing snow on state roads, such as MacArthur Road/Route 145 and Schadt Avenue (west of MacArthur Road). Third Street in Fullerton and First Avenue in West Catasauqua also are state roads, as are some roads in Egypt and Cementon.

PennDOT and the township have a cooperative agreement in place regarding the clearing of state roads.