LAWRENCE CO. – Lawrence County Highway Superintendent Brian Sowder provided an update on the significant snowstorm that impacted the region from January 3 to January 5 during the commissioners’ meeting Tuesday morning, noting that the county received more snow during this single storm than in the past three years combined.
The recent snow events have strained the highway department’s budget, estimated based on snow removal costs from the previous three years. During the storms, the highway department deployed substantial resources, using 3,714.73 tons of sand, 1,857.37 tons of salt, and 3,393.50 gallons of fuel to clear approximately 675 miles of county roads—600 miles of asphalt and 75 miles of stone.
The Lawrence County Highway Department is responsible for maintaining all county roads, bridges, culverts, small structures, and the East and South roads that border the county.
To tackle the snow removal, the department incurred costs of $140,459.39 for labor and equipment, with crews logging over 704.75 hours of overtime.
The highway department remains focused on restoring normalcy and preparing for future weather challenges by restocking supplies and working on equipment.
