To help stretch the effectiveness of the rock salt in freezing temperatures, the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Butler County Engineer’s Office and other communities, use various chemicals such as calcium chloride, brine, beet juice mixes and other substances.
Brian Cunningham, ODOT District 8 communications manager, said when the temperatures get below 25 degrees, road crews will pre-wet with some of these chemicals just before the salt is dispensed at the rear of the trucks as they travel along the interstates and state highways.
“This helps the salt to start the melting process more quickly,” Cunningham said.
However, he said before they start pre-wetting salt, they also take into consideration the pavement temperature and residual salt already on the road from previous runs. Cunningham said ODOT is constantly monitoring bridge and pavement temperatures.
Cunningham said ODOT uses calcium chloride, a deicing substance used for decades across the state and across the nation; and a product called Aqua Salina, which is a natural saltwater additive.
According to its website, Aqua Salina has a lower freeze point of minus 15 degrees than man-made salt brine, which has a freeze point of minus 6 degrees and also contains a corrosive inhibitor that helps protects equipment and vehicles.
Cunningham said District 8, which covers seven counties in southwest Ohio including Butler and Warren, started the season with 260,000 gallons of various deicing liquids that have been positioned across the district.
Chris Petrocy of the Butler County Engineer’s Office said road crews treating county roads were using a calcium chloride/brine/beet juice mix that was sprayed directly to the salt just before it hit the spinner on the back of the trucks.
“Salt’s effectiveness drops substantially below 20 degrees, so the liquid mix helps increase the salt’s effectiveness in colder temperatures,” he said. “There should be plenty of this treated salt still on roadway surfaces from yesterday’s application. While there may be some wet areas that could re-freeze after dark, many roads are fairly dry today.”
Both Petrocy and Cunningham said they did not receive any reports of icing on bridges or any other pavements.
According to the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, Thursday’s snow accumulation for Butler County ranged between 1.5 and 3 inches.
Saturday’s forecast is sunny with a high temperature near 14 degrees and wind chill values as low as minus 9 degrees. Tonight should be mostly clear with a low around 3 degrees and wind chill values as low as minus 5 degrees. Sunday is expected to be sunny with a high of 21 degrees and wind chill values of minus 4 degrees. Sunday night should be partly cloudy with a low of 9 degrees.
People spending time outdoors should dress appropriately by wearing multiple layers as well as hats and gloves to protect against frostbite and hypothermia, according to the weather service.
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