Chicago suburb sees clearer roads with enhanced deicer use
While it may encompass just 25 lane miles, Rutland Township takes its winter maintenance responsibilities seriously. That’s why Jay Schultz, highway commissioner for the western Chicago suburb, made finding the right road deicer a top priority.
“I’ve tried spraying salt with calcium chloride, I’ve tried using brown treated salt, and I’ve tried spreading blue treated salt,” he said. “I just wasn’t entirely pleased with any of these products, however.”
From labor-intense mixing to inconsistent and ineffective melting capabilities, Schultz was met with frustration and disappointment from a number of different deicing products and methods. Over the years he began looking for a better solution to help make winter roadways safer for his community. Part of his search involved conducting informal tests, such as spreading different types of treated salt on different roadways and comparing results.
“Some products bounced right off the road and onto the shoulder,” he said. “Others would make slush, but never completely melted the ice and snow from the road. It took some time, but we eventually found a green-treated product we liked.”
Called ClearLane enhanced deicer, the product Schultz discovered is made by Cargill Deicing Technology. The enhanced deicer is a salt product that’s different than regular rock salt, because it contains a pre-wetting agent and a green coloring agent. The enhanced deicer helps clear roads by providing a faster reaction time, longer residual effects and less scatter.
“I noticed a nearby township was using the product and boy their roads were black,” he said. “Once I tried it, I noticed a big difference in the melting factor. We apply it on asphalt; it begins melting quickly, and the water runs to the shoulder. With a bit of wind and sun, it’s no time before our roads are black and dry.”
Above all, Schultz and his team find that by using less product, they are still able to achieve the level of melting and safety required to meet their responsibilities: effective melting translates to safer roads and using less product translates to overall cost savings.
“We’re responsible for the safety of every child who gets off the school bus,” Schultz said. “When we don’t apply as much of the deicer on the roads and still get effective melting, that means we’re saving the taxpayers money and providing safer roads. Hands down, this product allows us to maintain our level of responsibility to our community.”
“I’ve tried spraying salt with calcium chloride, I’ve tried using brown treated salt, and I’ve tried spreading blue treated salt,” he said. “I just wasn’t entirely pleased with any of these products, however.”
From labor-intense mixing to inconsistent and ineffective melting capabilities, Schultz was met with frustration and disappointment from a number of different deicing products and methods. Over the years he began looking for a better solution to help make winter roadways safer for his community. Part of his search involved conducting informal tests, such as spreading different types of treated salt on different roadways and comparing results.
“Some products bounced right off the road and onto the shoulder,” he said. “Others would make slush, but never completely melted the ice and snow from the road. It took some time, but we eventually found a green-treated product we liked.”
Called ClearLane enhanced deicer, the product Schultz discovered is made by Cargill Deicing Technology. The enhanced deicer is a salt product that’s different than regular rock salt, because it contains a pre-wetting agent and a green coloring agent. The enhanced deicer helps clear roads by providing a faster reaction time, longer residual effects and less scatter.
“I noticed a nearby township was using the product and boy their roads were black,” he said. “Once I tried it, I noticed a big difference in the melting factor. We apply it on asphalt; it begins melting quickly, and the water runs to the shoulder. With a bit of wind and sun, it’s no time before our roads are black and dry.”
Above all, Schultz and his team find that by using less product, they are still able to achieve the level of melting and safety required to meet their responsibilities: effective melting translates to safer roads and using less product translates to overall cost savings.
“We’re responsible for the safety of every child who gets off the school bus,” Schultz said. “When we don’t apply as much of the deicer on the roads and still get effective melting, that means we’re saving the taxpayers money and providing safer roads. Hands down, this product allows us to maintain our level of responsibility to our community.”
Look it's a 10 wheeler jeff. Tanks we don't have and other things that cost to set up.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the money going to come from? How much is the cost to upgrade the equipment we would need?
Is the product available around here. Can they lock in for the unknown amount we would need.
Is the product ok for environment?
More questions than answers to gamble on the outcome.
Would we need computers to control the amounts or just put out what we think will make the roads safe?
the stuff is green it has to work !!
ReplyDeletewhat does the size of the truck have to do with anything? If you look at the picture, the product is not liquid. Sometimes you need to look past the trees to see the forest! The money to buy snow & ice stuff comes from snow & ice funds just like the sidewalk snow blower and the body that ya'll want to buy out of future snow & ice money. The article says you (they) used less to acquire the same amount of road safety which equaled saving tax dollars. But just keep doing things the same old way and keep buying equipment out of road money without even exploring a different way and you wonder why the tax payers do not give money though overrides. Don't worry, I will be attending this years town meeting. I wonder if it occurred to ya'll that the truck pictured with the liquid tanks was the setup used before they tried this product and they kept the old system in place just in case? I think Templeton use to use liquid deicer back a ways. Of course someone may have to think about a storage facility for the product and if you are having problems with salt getting wet, a storage facility should probably come before a new body for a truck.
ReplyDeletemy take on road sanders is they should be slide in units that you could slide into any dump truck ! and a all season body in my opinion is there a mechanics nightmare ! i have seen one up to wicks and he was rebuilding it what a nightmare !!
ReplyDeleteI think a truck with a all season body is a way to buy equipment out of snow and ice funds !!
Jeff it was you who said we didn't need 10 wheelers. Storage shed and availability would be a nice start to the money questions. The people at the override booth said no to a increase to the tax rate. They said no to spending the extra tax money a rate increase would bring. The school override would have been a forever increase thats why it failed 3 times.
ReplyDeleteIt's all about the money and we should be looking to hire a reclaimer for the roads we will never have the money to tar.
Save the patch money we would have spent to pay for the grind and put it into the new grader or other equipment we need to purchase. That way we can maintain the roads with a grader and the cost will go down to fix pot holes. If you look around at other highway dept you will see the all season is the type most are going to as it has the body we need to be replaced also. The truck it will go on has had the body patched and repaired and has got us through the winter for the last time. So to purchase a slide in for this truck would mean to purchase a dump body also to slide the sander into.
The trucks like jeff said have been on their way out for over 10 years and we keep getting more and more out of them. The time will come and the whole fleet will crumble as with this blog as proof no one can say we didn't say so.
This is almost getting to be funny. What difference does the size of the truck make......in the picture! It is about the product that has saved that community and others, tax dollars. As for the combo body, when the chain auger or the spinner or other moving parts go down, the truck becomes unavailable until fixed. The slide in unit can be worked on while the truck is available for continued use and with the time you guys spend with sand, you need the truck all of the time. Please post the highway depts. that have gone to this type of body and I will visit them. Although just because a lot of people are going to the cliff to jump does not mean I think we all should follow.
ReplyDelete