ROAD SALT IN WINTER. Maybe they just ride around on polar bears all winter. And that's led to a search for alternatives. Road salt works by lowering the freezing point of water via a process called freezing point depression. The fight to make it harder for landlords to evict their tenants, On Succession, Sisyphus rolls the rock uphill, Ecuadors political instability, explained, In Sudan, the US government finally begins evacuating its citizens. The Salt Belt is the U.S. region in which road salt is used in winter to control snow and ice. 2024 March Madness: Men's NCAA tournament schedule, dates Even with the recent shortage, salt is extraordinarily cheap, and cities have a limited budget for de-icing their roads. These solutions may not be scalable to something like a four-lane highway, said Xianming Shi, an engineer and the director of the National Center for Transportation Infrastructure Durability & Life-Extension at Washington State University. Please enter a valid email and try again. 3) Using different chemicals. Are Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney in love, or are they good actors? In 2017:Information technology'south so cold out, a dog froze, sharks died and route salt is useless. Road Salt Works. But It's Also Bad for the Environment. Toyota Camry, Corolla, FJ Cruiser, Highlander, Matrix, Prius, RAV4, 4Runner, Sienna, Solara, Venza, Yaris; Mercedes-Benz B-Class, C-Class; Hyundai Accent, Elantra, Entourage, Santa Fe, Sonata, Tuscon; Kia Forte, Magentis, Optima, Rondo, Sedona, Spectra, Sportage. While table salt helps go along roads clear in winter, information technology doesn't but disappear with the snow. Ive never been, so I cant say for sure., Other states such as Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah are also sometimes considered part of the salt belt.. In extremely cold temperatures, sand can freeze in hazardous clumps. Deicing chemicals melt ice by lowering the temperature at which it melts. Salt brines are increasingly used in some areas, but the vast majority is still rock salt. The real dream is that one day we might havepavement that's resistant to freezing, or roads that can heat up to melt ice (solar-powered roads, perhaps). What states salt their roads? What states to avoid buying a car from While working with the Oregon Section of Transportation, Shi'due south analysis plant that some span decks, even though they were highly rated upon visual inspection, had in fact lost 40% of their strength. But the hunt is on especially since America has seen major salt shortages these past few winters, and other options are starting to look more enticing. Tantalum, a rare, very hard transition metal, does not occur naturally in metallic form. Snow in SC is very rare. Nineteen of the 22 states we contacted regulate storage; three do not. But environmental activists and scientists argue that its possible to maintain winter safety while reducing the amount of salt spread on streets and highways. Innovative solutions that limit the amount of rock salt needed are also being explored. (The salt works by lowering the freezing temperature of water, preventing ice from forming.) Magnesium chloride (MgCl2)is considered to be safer than NaCl but requires twice the amount to cover the same area, making it more expensive. The Oregon Department of Transportation in 2012 launched a pilot program, salting two stretches of road near the states border to avoid the sudden change in conditions. Design and build by Upstatement. Engineers like Shi have been working on more futuristic technologies, like "smart" snowplows that are thriftier with salt, or ice-free pavement. The most common deicing method is the use of sodium chloride in the form of crushed rock salt, which is inexpensive, abundant, and easy to mine, store, distribute, and apply. There are solutions, Nissen told Grist. A city worker threw salt from a truck in New York City last year. The damage from salting highways alone now costs us $5 billion per year. Geologic Mapping and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Mineral Commodity Summaries and Minerals Yearbooks, published annually by the U.S. Geological Survey, provide global statistics and information for over 90 minerals and materials. (Eddie Welker/Flickr). Moose, elk, and other mammals visit natural salt licks to fill up on sodium. Official websites use .gov The EPA says this can reduce salt use41 to 75 percent and is best done two hours before the storm. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.