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Union melts snow like "magic"
Pam
Allen – The Daily Gazette
First published May 28, 2005
A
deicing solution tested on a section of Route 9 last winter appeared
to minimize ice on the busy state roadway, and the chemical will
be used again this winter to improve traffic safety, transportation
officials said.
The
magnesium chloride spray was tested for the first time in the
Capital Region in January. State road crews applied the treatment
prior to several snowstorms, on Route 9 between the Crescent Bridge
and Route 146.
"The
preliminary results were satisfactory, and it performed as advertised,
if you will. We see this as a bigger help early in the season,
but we do intend to continue with the operation next year,"
said Robert Selover, associate director for the state Department
of Transportation's maintenance division.
Ideally,
the solution works best when the pavement is between 20 degrees
and 36 degrees, and humidity is less than 50 percent, Selover
said.
Since
the applications on Route 9 didn't begin until January, when temperatures
are typically colder than early winter, it was difficult to determine
results based on ideal conditions, he said.
The
treatment, which was shown to decrease icing when it was used
in other parts of the state, is applied prior to a storm. Called
"Magic-0," it inhibits ice from bonding to the pavement,
and salt is then used on a regular schedule to keep the road clear.
DOT
invested about $14,000 for special spray equipment for the agency's
operation out of Clifton Park. Maintenance superintendents there
will decide which roads to treat next year, Selover said.
The
solution costs DOT 84 cents a gallon, and it cost about $500 each
time the approximately four-mile stretch of Route 9 was treated,
DOT officials said.
It's
hard to measure the actual success of the material because factors
such as traffic counts and accident rates can vary considerably
from winter to winter.
"When
you look at wintertime, I'm not sure you can measure anything
that means anything. But the level of service should improve because
the road is easier to navigate," Selover said.
Brennan
Landscaping Inc. in Schenectady is the Capital District's sole
distributor for "Magic-O" and "Magic Salt."
Company
owner Tim Brennan said he used "Magic-0," the spray
form of the solution, for the first time last winter to spray
salt piles at a half-dozen local businesses, including Union College,
St. Peter's Hospital and Time Warner-Cable.
"This
is catching on like wildfire," said Brennan, who also retails
both products from his business at 1100 Erie Boulevard.
Brennan
said he is especially fond of the products because they are water
soluble, and approved by the state Department of Conservation
as being environmentally sensitive.
Unlike
the spray solution alone, which can develop a greasy film when
applied on frozen concrete, a combination of salt and the magnesium
chloride solution can be used in below freezing temperatures,
Brennan said.
The
mixture is more effective because oil is less apt to settle on
concrete when it is attached to a carrier, he said.
Officials
at Union College said they used the solution for the first time
this past winter, and plan to use it again next year.
"Overall,
it worked great," college spokeswoman Lisa Stratton said.
She
said the magnesium chloride solution, which was sprayed on piles
of salt prior to its application, was more expensive than the
school's traditional salt treatment, but had several attractive
environmental and long term money-saving benefits.
The
school's salt usage was reduced considerably, which helps increase
the life of the campus plants, and the solution is non-corrosive,
which means it does not damage sensitive wildlife, and could add
as many as two or three years to the life of the college's snow-removal
equipment, Stratton said.
Brennan
said the product cuts normal rock salt use by 30 to 50 percent.
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