Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter

Andy Briscoe
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Fall 1999 (Volume 35 No. 2)
Long a mainstay in Europe, applying liquids in a preventive pre- or early-storm application to prevent the bonding of snow and ice to the pavement is a relatively new weapon in the snowfighter's arsenal. While many chemicals can be used, the emerging consensus choice for most storm situations is salt brine. Sodium chloride is the most cost-effective alternative.

Andy Briscoe
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Spring 1998 (Volume 34, No. 1)
Sure, when you grew up (or when your dad grew up!) cars rusted through, and quickly. In 1976, 90% of six-year old cars had corrosion damage. By 1997, carmakers had so improved their product that the percentage declined to less than 1%.

Andy Briscoe
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Fall 1998 (Volume 34, No. 2)
Three key environmental areas should be included in winter maintenance Sensible Salting programs: prevention of ground and surface water contamination, vegetation sensitivity, and air quality attainment regulations. Any of these areas can expose an agency to substantial financial costs and negative community relations, but each can be prevented with proper planning and
awareness by every one using salt or any other winter deicing material.

Gary Welsh
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Fall 2002
The City of Toronto has created a Salt Management Plan, a pro-active program to balance the City’s objectives to preserve wintertime safety and mobility on 5,100 kilometers (3,160 miles) of roadways while minimizing adverse environmental impacts. It’s a delicate balancing act, an enormous management challenge. Toronto roads receive about 130 cm (65 inches) of snow every winter and the City uses 200 trucks and more than 140,000 metric tonnes (154,000 short tons) of salt to keep its roads safe and passable. It is a big job. Toronto’s salt management plan makes it possible to get that job done and done right.

Dewey Amsler
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Winter 2002
It's natural to resist change, yet change is the only path to improvement. Learn from your peers how to manage change to improve your snowfighting operations.

Dewey Amsler
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Spring 2003
That good snowfighter training is crucial is no longer in dispute. But how can an agency know it's workers are trained for their responsibilities? Certifying snowfighters may be the answer.

Duane E. Amsler and Richard L. Hanneman
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Summer 2003

Delivering effective and efficient snowfighting services demands attention to establishing clear levels of service objectives, specifying performance measures and then collecting and analyzing data. Case studies of Chautauqua County, NY; Yellowknife, NWT; the Province of Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Public Works; and DOTs in Ohio and Minnesota provide useful insights into improving your operations.

Donald M. Walker
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Fall 2003

Training pays off if it's done right. Keys are delivering the appropriate training to trainees with the proper attitude and folowing up to ensure the training has been effective. LTAP Centers can provide training for agencies without in-house trainers.

Marcia L. Pincus
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Winter 2003

Everyone talks about the weather. "Smart highways" aim to do something about it. Great strides have been made in integrating "intelligent transportation system" (ITS) technologies into winter roadway operations. Case studies inlcude Buffalo, NY and Delaware DOT.