Some Vermont towns are facing road salt shortages ahead of a weekend of winter weather and historic cold.
Rutland City, Middlebury, Monkton and Vergennes are among the towns scaling back their ice removal as a result.
Rutland City Police Department urged drivers to use extra caution and adjust their travel plans on Sunday and Monday. Main streets will still be salted, but the city said side roads may get treated with sand and remain snowy.
The police department said the city has already salted its roads 17 times this winter and faces an uncertain timeline for when its salt stores can be resupplied.
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In Vergennes, those storms have almost eaten through the city’s stockpile.
“We’ve had so many storms this year, this season, that we are down to our last 100 tons of salt, maybe a little less,” said Mayor Chris Bearor.
He said the city can’t get more from its supplier.
“We have kind of restricted our use down to just what we call ‘hills and corners’ and intersections to salt and sand,” he said. “We are leaving the main roads snow-covered until the end of the storm, when we’ll open them up with salt and sand.”
In the state capital, salt supplies are better, but Deputy Director of Public Works Zach Blodgett said Montpelier has faced long delays when ordering salt this year.
“It seems to be a pretty common theme for all municipalities in the area,” Blodgett said. Still, he said, the city expects to have enough on hand to keep streets clear as normal during the upcoming storm.
Earlier this month, Gov. Phil Scott declared the shortage of road salt an emergency, and temporarily increased the number of hours that salt delivery drivers can work through the end of the month.
Towns across New England are reporting similar shortages.
