RANT: Salting of our Roads now!?!?!

[Jiggers]

Hahahaha… Nickels is sleeping in this morning. I don't think he even cares to salt or not to salt.

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[Homer]

Ha, that's for sure…I know he had to try and repair his image after the last snow storm debacle but if you're leaving office anyway, why do something so irresponsible like this? Learn from others' mistakes and either get more plows, or be more diligent with the liquid de-icer! Oy…sometimes!

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[JanS]

so last year everyone groused that the city DIDN'T use salt…and now people are grousing because they are? What if they simply did nothing? Then everyone would be unhappy..crunched front ends are more destructive than rust !!!…

I just don't think you can please all of the people all of the time. We can't have it both ways, now, can we?

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[Homer]

I see your point JanS but crunched cars is not an outcome anyone wants. There are MANY alternatives to basic salt which they are now putting down. I'm merely wishing they would consider these alternatives to prevent crashes AND prevent rust/degradations of our roads, bridges, and environment.

Has we tried not trying to melt the ice but put down the crushed cinder/sand to let all have traction on it?

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[sacatosh]

Homer are you new in town?

The salt and chemical de-icer are what were used last year. If you do a search here on WSB you will find many, many debates about the methods, as well as a great technical explanation of why they don't work in Seattle. It had to do with the grade of the roads that helps with rain runoff – the deicer gel was in small balls that rolled right off. And the sand just makes dirty snow and ice due to the propensity of our weather to melt ice during the day and refreeze into ice sheets at night.

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[Smitty]

Why salt? According to the "scientists" involved in Climategate we should be tanning on the shores on Alki beach right about now!

That's what the guy who invented the internet told me anyway.

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[Homer]

Sacatosh, I'm not new in town and if you look at the article I referenced in my first post, it states this is the FIRST time they've used salt brine solution here. We only used the chemical de-icer last year and years prior. That's why all of our cars haven't been coated in white in years past like most cars in the midwest and east coast.

See: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008551284_snowcleanup23m.html

they didn't use salt of any kind/form in years past. Also, the de-icer is not in small balls as you state but in a liquid that is dripped onto the pavement hence my statement, the 5 or so lines on the bridges we saw last winter. It's a gel that soaks into the pavement and if you've ever seen one of these trucks, you'll know it's a gel, not balls that of course would roll all over the place, I've never heard of this.

And about the sand/volcanic rock (crushed), this has been used for decades all over the country and it mixes with the snow and ice to create traction…I don't care if it makes the snow on the roads dirty as long as we all don't go skidding off the bridges and overpasses.

Where are your facts coming from? Curious as maybe my links included are incorrect.

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[JoB]

Homer..

run your car through a car wash… that's what i did in Minnesota and i am driving the same car here i had there with no rust issues…

the rain will works as a giant car wash on our bridges…

smitty..

i don't think we can solve your problem with anything so simple as a car wash :(

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[WSB]

Actually, this isn't the first time salt's been used. The policy was changed after last year's uproar and some was used in January.

https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=13310

As for this year's plan:

Two months ago, we were among the first to report the new SDOT plan, including salt replacing chemical deicer in many circumstances. They made a huge deal out of inviting us and other media outlets to get a preview, roll out the plan, etc.

Just for the record. Here's the article we published two months ago today:

New Seattle snow plan: “Bare pavement”; salt before & during

That said, the city will certainly be interested in hearing from you if you do actually observe problems resulting from it. But as others have pointed out, they put it into effect AFTER Snowpocalypse last year – somewhat different plan from what is in place now.

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[Author]

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