LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Road crews in both Kentucky and Indiana spent much of Monday pre-treating major routes as the region prepared for the season's first measurable snowfall.

Officials with the Indiana Department of Transportation and Louisville Metro Public Works said crews began brining roads around 9 a.m., taking advantage of favorable conditions ahead of the expected snow. Road surface temperatures hovered around 31 degrees Monday, allowing brine to remain effective. Public Works officials said brine works down to roughly 20 degrees.

After a disruptive storm last January, Louisville Metro said it's increased communication with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to ensure brining begins earlier and covers more ground. Still, not every neighborhood will see pre-treatment, particularly streets governed by homeowners associations or those in smaller municipalities.

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"We've actually removed some roadways — we added 24 roadways or sections of roadways onto our snow maps this year, so I think we are going to be more efficient," Public Works Director Bill Bell said, adding the department has more equipment available this winter.

INDOT officials said all 148 state-maintained routes in the Southeast District were being treated Monday as crews worked districtwide.

As preparations unfolded on both sides of the river, shoppers flocked to Brownsboro Hardware to stock up on salt, shovels and other winter supplies. Owner Doug Carroll said the first meaningful snowfall always brings a rush.

"We tend to stock up a little heavier on some of the snow-melt products and snow shovels, knowing we still have three months of winter left," Carroll said. "This is only the beginning."

Louisville Metro Public Works said 14 trucks were deployed Monday for pre-treatment, with another 100 trucks on standby should conditions deteriorate overnight before the Tuesday morning commute.

Both agencies urged drivers to slow down and allow extra travel time on treated or slick roads.

Pressure on salt supply

The first measurable snowfall of the season came early this year — and it’s already putting pressure on the salt supply across Kentuckiana.

For Adam Vogelsang, owner of Brownsboro Lawn Care, that means shifting gears from grass to snow.

“Last year was a banner year for us,” Vogelsang said. “Compared back to 2010, 2012 area. And, you know, we hope that we're going to have another banner year, just like we did last year.”

Vogelsang’s crews work through every snowfall, focusing on industrial and commercial properties — big shopping centers, restaurants and hardware stores.

“We have a lot of dedicated equipment,” he said. “We mainly do industrial and commercial applications. We don't do much residential at all, mainly fifth and sixth class cities.”

Last winter, WDRB showed lines of trucks hauling salt from the Port of Indiana — one load heading to Magic Salt of Kentuckiana in Louisville.

Co-Owner Chad Chambers said their treated salt has a distinct advantage.

“Other treated salts won’t melt snow all the way down to 35 degrees,” Chambers explained. “Ours has a magnesium and magnesium chloride blend, which helps it melt even in really cold conditions. So it works when regular rock salt doesn’t.”

But even Magic Salt is feeling the crunch.

Co-owner Jessica Chapman, who helps run the business, said demand hasn’t slowed down since last winter.

“It’s a lot of salt being moved,” Chapman said. “We start with barges filling up our zones, and then we’ve already depleted that. We haven’t stopped selling all summer. People knew we were going into a shortage and started preparing ahead.”

The early snowfall has everyone in the snow-removal business paying close attention.

“We don’t experience accumulation like this on December 1 very often,” Chambers said. “Saturday was actually a record for that day in Indianapolis. So we’re all kind of experiencing some early weather this year.”

And while an early start doesn’t necessarily predict a harsh winter, it does mean the salt supply could tighten sooner than expected.

“As of right now, we’re OK,” Chambers said. “But as every snow fighter knows, it’s a roll of the dice. We could be OK today and not OK in two weeks. The best thing to do is be prepared ahead of time — get your hands on salt.”

If supplies run low, Chambers said they may need to go beyond local sources.

“We’ll be able to get our hands on it,” she said. “But we’re going to have to go farther than local — maybe Chicago or Kansas City. We’ll just have to go further to gain access.”

For now, the salt piles are holding steady, and the plows are ready — but as winter rolls in early, staying stocked may be the biggest challenge of all.

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