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This report shows the results of tests done to determine the efficiency of various types of pre-wetting in the Metro Division during the Winter of 1992-1993

The testing of various deicing chemicals (salt and salt substitutes) and their effect on metal corrosion is a phenomenon that has not been studied very extensively. This study was conducted under laboratory conditions to evaluate the various chemicals and their effect on rebar corrosion under various conditions (room temperature, high temperature, wet-dry, excess oxygen (bubbled and stirred). The results show that the various chemicals react to different tests with varying results. No one chemical deicer was successful in all tests.

These photos show a snowplow or snowplows actively plowing snow.

Anti-icing (also known as “pre-treating”) is the winter road maintenance practice of applying a liquid or solid material intended to depress the freezing point of water in order to prevent winter storm precipitate from bonding to roadway pavement. Anti-icing may be performed hours (or even days) before a winter storm event begins; it can also be performed after ice or snow begins to fall in order to keep pavements as clear of ice and snow as possible. Salt [sodium chloride] brine and other chloride liquids are widely used for anti-icing. Historically, materials other than liquids, such as dry and prewetted salt/solids, have also been used by winter maintenance agencies for anti-icing. This Clear Roads synthesis project sought to learn how and the extent to which agencies use prewetted salts/solids for anti-icing, the conditions under which they are used, their effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and agencies’ response to environmental concerns about anti-icing salt use. The investigation included a national survey of state department of transportation winter maintenance experts that gathered information about materials used for anti-icing, including reasons why materials were selected, how they were prepared and applied, and their effectiveness, with particular focus on the use of prewetted solids. The results of a literature search supplemented the survey findings.