The city is setting up the long-awaited brine system at the Montgomery Street salt dome ahead of winter.

Municipal officials awarded a $138,706 contract to Alimi Builders of Wyckoff this week to install the system.

The contractor will build concrete pads and install two 5,000-gallon tanks for brine mixing and storage at the site, according to public works director William “Billy” Rodriguez. Contractor will create an area for a third tank for calcium.

Rodriguez said public works employees will use brine to clear streets this coming winter. He said the brine solution will be a mixture of water and salt.

Former mayor Jose “Joey” Torres had proposed the brine system four years ago. He had argued using brine to clear roadways will extend the life of roadways.

In 2014, the city purchased an International Model 7400 4X2 truck that is equipped with brine tanks.

Torres proposed the system at the same time his administration pushed to borrow $35 million for his road repair project.

The city is funding the project using federal Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) dollars. Seven vendors picked up bid package for the project, but only one submitted a bid, according to municipal records.

Email: [email protected]