Sand/Salt vs. just salt on roads in winter....

[hattaresguy]

The worst thing is the liquid ice melt they are starting to use up here, it literally dissolves vehicles in a few years.

OTR trucks are rapidly ruined and it gets everywhere.

The municipalities and state want to keep their budgets so they literally turn the roads white with salt every time they forecast snow.

 

[MNgopher]

First, I'll just say try being on the other side of this. What if you were the agency responsible for maintaining the road? I am (though not entirely directly for snow removal and ice prevention). Let's just say its a thankless job. You either use too much product, don't know what you are doing, or the roads are terrible and you didn't use enough. You very rarely hear thanks. There is never any acceptance that mother nature often doesn;t behave as expected and when part of what you do is in response to weather forecasting, well...

Our agency mostly uses treated salt, like Clearlane, on all paved roads. It scatters less than plain salt, works at lower temps, and is visible (usually a blue green color) so drivers can see product has been applied (as well as absorbing the suns heat when its out). Application is dictated by air temp, road temps, and expected conditions and dropped by calibrated spreader. We use sand on paved roads under certain circumstances - namely too cold or pure ice. The effective limit of treated salt is somewhere under 10 F, though it still melts at 0, just not a lot (as in about 5% as effective as at 30F). The bulk of our salt is delivered by barge, and the rest by rail, and trucked to the salt sheds.

Sand is not used for a variety of reasons, namely cleanup. In addition, driver expectations are for dry road surfaces. Politicians hate calls about icy road. Sand does not melt ice or snow, it only provides traction.

Gravel roads generally get a small gravel mixture for traction.

Bridge decks and other known trouble spots get pretreated with a liquid deicer within about 12 hours of expected precipitation.

 

[jayg]

Originally Posted By: MNgopher
First, I'll just say try being on the other side of this. What if you were the agency responsible for maintaining the road? I am (though not entirely directly for snow removal and ice prevention). Let's just say its a thankless job. You either use too much product, don't know what you are doing, or the roads are terrible and you didn't use enough. You very rarely hear thanks. There is never any acceptance that mother nature often doesn;t behave as expected and when part of what you do is in response to weather forecasting, well...

Our agency mostly uses treated salt, like Clearlane, on all paved roads. It scatters less than plain salt, works at lower temps, and is visible (usually a blue green color) so drivers can see product has been applied (as well as absorbing the suns heat when its out). Application is dictated by air temp, road temps, and expected conditions and dropped by calibrated spreader. We use sand on paved roads under certain circumstances - namely too cold or pure ice. The effective limit of treated salt is somewhere under 10 F, though it still melts at 0, just not a lot (as in about 5% as effective as at 30F). The bulk of our salt is delivered by barge, and the rest by rail, and trucked to the salt sheds.

Sand is not used for a variety of reasons, namely cleanup. In addition, driver expectations are for dry road surfaces. Politicians hate calls about icy road. Sand does not melt ice or snow, it only provides traction.

Gravel roads generally get a small gravel mixture for traction.

Bridge decks and other known trouble spots get pretreated with a liquid deicer within about 12 hours of expected precipitation.


Well thanks! My dad's side of the family is up in Willmar, MN and they get some pretty crazy winter weather.

People love to complain and criticize. When there is ice down here in Atlanta, people love to find reasons to criticize us "rebels" down here for not having enough equipment or the we cant drive on it. Every year, the first snows up north there are wrecks everywhere from untreated roads and summer tires. It's the same thing. People just don't put themselves in other peoples shoes.

 

[Clevy]

In sask we use sand and gravel. Very little to no salt. When I lived in collingwood/wasaga beach they used vast amounts of salt.
The climate in collingwood is warmer so there is a real possibility of above freezing temps at any given time. Because of this warmer weather they also get pounded with snow,so add all that together and salt is a better option
Throw down the salt then plow off the melt an hour later.
In sask because we get cold and stsy cold salt isn't smart because more often than not the melted snow re freezes before it can be plowed off causing a skating rink,but sand and gravel leave a rough surface and therefore traction which in this climate is better.

 

[silverrat]

I'm some parking lots in my area there is still some remaining sand and gravel from last years winter.