With the winter months underway and snow and bad weather on the horizon in Putnam County, the Putnam County Highway Department is ready for whatever Mother Nature throws its way. 

According to Jim Peck, county highway engineer, Putnam County has over 1,000 tons of road salt and another 1,000 tons of salt/sand mixture on hand. 

"The Department has committed to purchase an additional 500 tons of road salt in 2024 through the Indiana Department of Transportation annual bid. As in years past, the Department has reached out to school corporations indicating road salt available for purchase," Peck told The Putnam County Post. 

Last winter was a mild one and the Putnam County Highway Department used approximately 500 tons of road salt, Peck said. 

In addition to salt and sand, the highway department has an arsenal of trucks and equipment, according to Peck. 

The fleet includes: 15 dump trucks with plows and salt/sand spreaders, three pickup trucks with plows, three road graders with "V" plows, a salt brine truck and a Military Oshkosh truck with a rotating plow, which was obtained several years ago from the U.S. Defense Department equipment giveaway. Peck said the Oshkosh truck is used during substantial snow events, such as a blizzard. 

In addition to being prepared for the winter, the highway department is currently excavating roadside ditches and replacing culverts on roads to be paved in 2024. 

"We are also spreading stone and grading the county's gravel roads," Peck said.