The overwhelming snow to our north begs the question in Maryland: How prepared is this state to battle the winter this season?

Advertisement Md. preps for winter with monster trucks, lasers New tools, plus more salt, to help SHA plow through storms Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The overwhelming snow in Buffalo, New York, begs the question in Maryland: How prepared is this state to battle the winter this season?State officials showed off some new equipment Wednesday to help in that effort, but the old-fashioned tool -- salt -- is still the star of the winter battle, even though the asking price just went up.Mobile users, tap here for videoPlow trucks that are 12 feet longer than usual are Maryland's new power tools to fight winter weather. The state bought nine of them so they can hold more salt and fuel."It allows us to stay out on the road longer, and we are not spending as much time going back to those facilities to replenish. So, again, more time on the road improves our ability to remove snow from the roadways," said David Coyne, of the State Highway Administration.The super-sized trucks will be used on interstates 95 and 97, as well as the two beltways.The state also bought lasers that are mounted on poles along major roads. The lasers discreetly shoot out onto the pavement to measure the surface temperature, Coyne said. They are beginning to replace worn-out sensors embedded in highways, which take a beating.The new lasers will help officials respond to storms correctly."In many cases, the pavement temperature will be warmer than the actual ambient air temperature, so again, that goes into our decision making as far as when we treat, what time we should bring our resources in and what type of treatment," Coyne said.The most common treatment, of course, is salt. The state has restocked all 94 of its salt domes to capacity with 380,000 tons. Last year's brutal winter caused officials to keep replenishing and eventually put down 550,000 tons of salt on roads.That replenishment was part of the reason Maryland's winter budget was easily blown through last year, when $150 million was spent. The budget this winter stands at $51 million. Because so much salt was used across the country last year, the cost of salt is currently 25 percent to 50 percent higher, experts said.With those financial challenges in mind, the state promises, as it did last year, to shift money around in its winter budget to ensure there are enough supplies to battle any type of storm.