Beginning in the 2009/2010 winter season the Simsbury Highway Department will begin using treated salt on all of the Town’s roadways. Treated salt is common rock salt that has been enhanced with magnesium chloride and other agents that allow the salt to work at lower temperatures, stick to the roadway, and inhibit rust. This system of using straight treated salt with no sand in the mix has been used by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and many of the towns in Connecticut for the past ten years. The primary advantages to this system
are:
> The Town’s street sweeping program and catch basin cleaning programs in the spring will be faster and less expensive
> Road sand will not pollute local rivers and streams
> The snow in most storms will not stick to the roadway allowing for faster cleanup after each storm and there will be less icing of the roadways due to snow melt refreezing overnight.
Ultimately, we believe the use of treated salt is going to save the town money and be better for the environment.
Simsbury residents that have become accustomed to the heavy use of sand during winter storms will see several changes with the Town’s use of treated salt. Some of these changes include:
> Our plow crews will be applying treated salt to the Town’s roadways before it snows. This pre-treating of the roadways allows the treated salt to “stick” to the bare pavement and when snow falls the salt will form a brine layer that will prevent the snow from freezing to the roadway surface. This brine layer is the key to the use of treated salt. This brine layer allows for cars and trucks to have traction as their tires will push through the slushy snow and make direct contact with the roadway.
> During snowstorms, the town will not use any sand. Without the sand, there will no longer be the brown patches in the snow where many drivers looked for better traction; instead, drivers should look for the areas of snow that look wet or gray. These are locations where the salt is actively melting the snow, forming the brine layer where you will find the most traction.
> In the springtime, you will not see the piles of sand in your front yard or on the street! The Town will still sweep the streets once per year, but it will be a much faster process.
If you have any questions on the Town’s use of treated salt, please call the Public Works Department at (860) 658-3222.
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