Nov 23, 2009 4:00 pm US/Eastern
Md. Road Crews Get Ready For Snow With Molasses
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
In a few short weeks, cloudy days will have us thinking of snow.
As
Mike Schuh reports, the state has a new weapon to fight the inevitable.
Once we stop worrying about rain, we start worrying about ice and snow. People charged with keeping state roads free and clear always come up with a new trick each year.
The state spent $52 million last year keeping roads passable, but this year there will be a bit of a food fight. They use rock salt, as you know, but this year they're also using molasses made from sugar beets.
"It's not going to do anything to tires or cars. It's going to help us control keeping the roads clear," said Sandra Dobson, State Highway Administration.
They have eight special trucks, the tanks to be filled with a mixture of molasses and liquid salt. The molasses is sticky and that's the idea.
"It cuts down on the scatter of the salt spread from the truck and it also is non-corrosive," Dobson said.
"It sprays on to the salt, comes out of the auger and shoots right onto the spinner as you're throwing salt onto the roadway," said SHA plow driver Lonnie Mathas.
The stuff is designed to be sprayed just before the storm hits.
"If it's a dry surface, it scatters, but if put into a brine solution, it sticks better and doesn't wash away," Dobson said.
Maryland looked at the 10 other states that already used it.
"It's been very successful. It cuts down on the cost and you don't have to salt as much," Dobson said.
They're going to use this new method of salting the first time it snows.
Last year's winter was drier than normal. We received just over three inches of snow.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Winter Storm Hits Maryland, Part 3
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