A New Jersey town says it is one of many municipalities across the state facing a salt shortage ahead of a major snowstorm expected to hit this weekend.
Piscataway Mayor Brian C. Wahler told NJ Advance Media the town hasn’t received a salt delivery in weeks, and with limited supplies available to melt snow and ice, the shortage poses a public health concern.
“We’re down to about 500 tons, and that’s just barely enough just to do intersections in our town,” Wahler said. “This is going to be very challenging and problematic if we don’t have material to lay down on the street.”
The storm could bring snow totals topping 10 inches, forecasters say. Snow is expected to begin Saturday night, and freezing temperatures are forecasted statewide through Wednesday.
Wahler said the township used 1,500 tons of salt last weekend, and expects to need at least 2,000 tons this weekend.
He said the salt shortage appears to stem from a lack of drivers or trucks to make deliveries from Port Newark, where the salt is transported from upstate New York.
Municipalities are unable to send trucks to the port due to security clearance requirements. Instead, they must rely on private contractors to retrieve shipments.
According to Wahler, nearly every town and county government in New Jersey is facing a shortage, and the problem extends across the entire tri-state area.
Wahler, who has served as mayor for more than 25 years, said he has never seen a shortage this severe before.
“This is reminiscent of the pandemic when there was a shortage of N95 masks,” Wahler said. He noted stores are also facing a shortage of bags of salt for home use.
The township is reaching out to the governor’s office to coordinate with State Police and Port Authority Police to resolve the issue, Wahler said. At a Tuesday council meeting, he said he hopes to receive salt deliveries by Saturday.
State Department of Transportation spokesperson Stephen Schapiro said the agency “has sufficient salt on hand to treat Interstate and State highways for the upcoming storm.”
Wahler urged residents to stay off the roads Sunday except for emergencies to allow crews to take care of the roads.
