Northwest Ohio is still enjoying a warm and pleasant autumn, but the Ohio Department of Transportation is gearing up for what could be a long and snowy winter.

One tool ODOT will utilize more this year is salt brine, also called liquid deicer. ODOT plans on using the cheaper and more effective alternative to rock salt in treating most of I-75, and U.S. 24 from Toledo to the Indiana state line.

“Salt has to have moisture; it draws in moisture and creates brine,” said Dale Calcamuggio, ODOT’s transportation administrator at its district office in Bowling Green. “That’s what actually melts snow.

“What we’re doing is putting liquid right to the roadway to melt the snow immediately,” he explained.

ODOT has heavily invested in liquid deicer over the past few years, with six brine tankers at the Lucas County garage in Maumee and two more to be added to the fleet by winter.

Last year, the Maumee facility increased usage to 800,000 gallons from 50,000.

“The managers will predict what kind of weather systems [we’ll see] using forecasts from our local or paid weather service,” said Layth Istefan, ODOT’s highway management administrator at its Bowling Green district office. “They’ll look at what kind of weather we’ll get and determine if liquid deicers are the best choice for that storm.”

Mr. Calcamuggio said the brine mixture can be used in temperatures as low as 15 degrees. The brine will be mixed with rock salt for temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees.

Anything under 10 degrees requires strictly rock salt.

The Lucas County garage has 60,000 gallons of liquid deicer in storage and can produce 7,000 gallons an hour. Its tanker fleet is capable of spraying a combined 6,000 gallons per hour if all are operating.

One downside is new brine must be applied every two hours, compared with salt, which lasts much longer on the roads.

“We’re putting more tools on our tool belt,” Mr. Calcamuggio said. “We’re using something that costs five to seven cents a gallon, versus $45 a ton. We’re saving about 30 to 40 percent on salt by using liquids.”

The National Weather Service says the chance for above-normal precipitation in the region this winter is slightly above average. AccuWeather Inc.’s winter outlook calls for “frequent snow events” in the Northeast and doses of “brutally cold air” in the upper Midwest.

No matter what Mother Nature has in store, Mr. Istefan said crews will be ready.

“The fleet [of trucks] is in very good shape,” he said. “We are on a 10-year regular replacement cycle, meaning these trucks once they reach a certain age or mileage, they’re pulled out and new ones come in.”

All trucks and plows receive a thorough inspection this time of year, and employees are put through a refresher course to transition from summer maintenance to winter maintenance.

ODOT officials reminded motorists to keep a safe distance from the trucks.

“We always say, ‘Don’t crowd the plow,’ ” ODOT spokesman Theresa Pollick said. “We stop and start often, so you have to be careful. We make movements a normal vehicle would not.”

Contact Jay Skebba at: jskebba@theblade.com, 419-376-9414, or on Twitter @JaySkebbaBlade.

First Published October 25, 2016, 4:00 a.m.