Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Inventory management of solid ice control chemicals (salt)
Duane E. "Dewey" Amsler
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Spring 2004
One of the most heartburn-causing situations faced by highway maintenance managers is to run low on, or out of salt, during the snow and ice season. Proper inventory management can avoid this and includes having 100% of an average winter's salt supplies in your own storage facility, ordering well in advance and keeping re-supplied, beginning the season with full storage facilities and employing Sensible Salting in storage and application. Examples: Indiana DOT; Rockland County, NY; Marquette, MI; Township of Goffstown, NH; and McHenry County, IL.
Inventory management of solid ice control chemicals (salt)Are you using the right amount of ice control chemical?
Duane E. "Dewey" Amsler
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Summer 2004
NCHRP Project 6-13 (Report 526 ) discusses the factors influencing the choice of materials for winter roadway maintenance and the proper application rates. This article introduces the concept of precipitation dilution as a consideration in determining salt application rates.
LTAP/TTAP: your source for cost-effective snowfighting information and training
Lisa Haacken Pogue
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Fall 2003
Workshops conducted by Local Technology Assistance Program (LTAP) trainers can be a valuable source of snowfighter training for agencies lacking in-house trainers.
Winter maintenance command center, the heart of a winter maintenance management system
Mohamed M. Alkoka
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Winter 2005 (Volume 41, No. 1)
Coordinating snowfighting is essential for snowfighting managers. This requires attention to communication and that is facilitated by creating a snow command center. A Danish experience illustrates.
Real-time continuous friction measurement has arrived
Pat Halliday
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Spring 2005
The most powerful predictor of roadway slipperiness (and, hence, driving safety) is the coefficient of friction. Previous technologies to test roadway friction have involved putting vehicles into controlled skids. New technology based on Indy 500 racing cars may offer a solution.
The truth about sand and salt for winter maintenance
Donald Walker, PE
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Summer 2005
The challenge of operating winter roadways
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Fall 2005
Is snowfighting "winter maintenance" or "winter operations?" "Maintenance is focused on the roadway. "Operations" is focused on outcomes -- winter safety and mobility. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is pushing strongly for a focus on "operations." Success will require development of new performance measures to assess system outcomes. Previous management has focused on inputs or outputs, not outcomes like crash rate and trip time reliability.
Salt management planning: key to snowfighting success in Renfrew County
Mark Pinet
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Winter 2006
Taking a "big picture" view of snowfighting promotes improved resource allocations, what Canadians term "salt management." The Salt Institute would call it Sensible Salting. Renfrew County, north of Ottawa embarked on a multi-year, comprehensive snowfighting planning effort in 2001 that included installation of RWIS systems and more aggressive oversight over salt application.
Mixing it up in the fight against winter by blending liquid ice control chemicals
Duane E. "Dewey" Amsler and Richard L. Hanneman
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Spring 2006
For years, dry rock salt has been the mainstay of snowfighting efforts. Salt does not melt snow and ice until it turns to brine. And salt loses its effect and slows its performance as temperatures decline below 15 degrees F. Applying liquids, directly to the roadway or to the dry salt both speeds salt's ice-melting mission and can extend its effective temperature range by applying "hotter" chemicals like CaCl and MgCl. While salt is generally discussed as a freeze-point depressant, deicing power or ice melting capacity is probably a more meaningful measure.
Written snow and ice control plan and policy documents are absolutely essential for winter maintenace agencies - part 1
Duane E. "Dewey" Amsler
Salt Institute
Salt and Highway Deicing newsletter
Summer 2006
Creating and maintaining an approved snow and ice control plan is one of the most important things a highway agency can do to ensure against chaos during snow emergencies, deliver a more consistent level of service, limit tort liabiltiy and build positive community support. Examples include the Indiana Department of Transportation; Rockland County, NY and the Township of Cranberry, PA. Part 1 of this three-part series discusses how to create a written plan and policy.