What is used to treat roads?

There has been some controversy over the past few years over the brine that is used by PennDOT (and other states) to pretreat roads before a snow event. For several years in the western part of the state a salt brine, a mix of salt and water, has been used for pretreatment. It is designed to prevent precipitation from sticking to the road and therefore making plowing easier. While plowing road salt is put down to speed up snow melting and prevent refreezing.

There have been complaints about its effects on the environment though. The brine is a chemical derived from oil and gas. Some have argued that it is more environmentally friendly to use since less road salt gets used but the fact still remains that a chemical is being put on the road. This chemical can get off the road and into the ground and wind up in a farmer’s field or in the local water supply. It is believed (but not confirmed) that it is also getting into the road and causing more potholes to appear.

What has also triggered a number of complaints is the brine’s effect on vehicles. It has been found that the brine causes corrosion on the underside of vehicles at an accelerated rate. Subaru has issued recalls to try to avoid the problem for cars in what is known as the “brine belt” and Volkswagen has also acknowledged it is a problem. No state will admit that it is causing corrosion on the vehicles though.

PennDOT and others have been experimenting with another solution. It is all-natural so there should be much lower environmental impact and it is found that it works much better at extreme winter temperatures. The brine is derived from the beet. Beet brine has been used effectively in Fort Wayne, Indiana and it is already in use here in Pennsylvania (though Wisconsin has been using a cheese brine). Armstrong County was the first to use the new product in 2009 but found the mixture clogged the nozzles on their trucks. Butler County was the next to experiment with its use. It was found that ice 2.5 inches thick turned to slush in a matter of minutes and was all water within an hour.

Now, lets face it, this is not going to put an end to road salt or possibly even the salt brine. What it will do is allow for less salt to be used and beet brine will make for a more environmentally friendly product that will keep our roads safer during the winter time.

While PennDOT is in taking care of the public roads they do not take care of private drives or parking lots. That is where a company like Michael B. Stoner Inc. can come in. We have 30 years of experience with snow and ice removal in Chambersburg, Carlisle, Mechanicsburg, Hershey, Middletown and Harrisburg and most areas in between. With have the equipment to take care of any property from a small parking lot to the largest mall parking lot. We are certified by the American Snow Contractors Association and members of the Snow and Ice Management Association as well as being fully insured. We are available 24/7 and get the job done right the first time, so if you need snow or ice removal services or are not happy with who is currently doing it for you give us a call at 717-245-2225 or visit our contact page.