To the editor:

This letter is long overdue. This past March I had the opportunity to tour the Town of Peru Highway Department facilities and learn about their use of brine on the roads to combat ice. The tour was arranged by Marque Moffett from the Ausable Freshwater Center. Rock salt traditionally has been used to treat roads, but many cities and towns across the U.S. are using brine, either exclusively or in addition to rock salt, because it has a variety of advantages over rock salt alone.

However, the purpose of my letter is not to discuss the use of brine. The most important aspect of the tour, for me, was to learn, first-hand, about the work that highway departments do. While many people are safe at home in the winter waiting for the roads to be cleared, these people are laboring to ensure driver safety. They encounter whiteouts where they cannot see the road. Despite the incredibly heavy weight of the plow and salt trucks, they can slide on the ice, just like a car or pickup truck. Can you imagine driving a truck that can weigh up to 27 tons while it is sliding off the road? This heavy weight also makes them difficult to maneuver, and they have many blind spots. The drivers are constantly on call in the winter, which makes it challenging to have a personal life. The trucks bounce up and down, which is hard on the drivers’ backs.

In the summer, they have a little more regular schedule. However, that is when they are working in the hot sun, cleaning and repairing roads and infrastructure. Operating the heavy equipment they need to use for this work is also hard on the body, as is the physical labor that is involved. This is dangerous work. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, contact with construction vehicles, objects, and equipment is the leading cause of highway construction worker injuries and fatalities.

The most disheartening aspect of the tour was to learn how frequently these highway department workers are exposed to rude drivers and negative comments from the public regarding the quality of their work. It shows an incredible lack of respect for the important work that these people do, as well as an ignorance regarding the complexity of maintaining our roads and highways in all seasons.

I was so impressed with the town of Peru Highway Department. Everyone I spoke with was highly knowledgeable and dedicated. The town is very, very fortunate to have these employees. We were invited to ride along with a driver to get true, first-hand knowledge of the work. If someone is critical of their highway workers, I suggest they contact their town to find out if they can ride along with a driver, particularly in the winter, before they continue to criticize. I urge everyone to give highway workers the respect they deserve.

Linda Shuster

Wilmington