When winter hits, nearly 700 snowplows and other snow removal equipment, such as graders, work to keep Alberta’s highways clear and open to traffic. Snowplow operators are committed to maintaining safe winter driving conditions, but drivers have a role to play too. Stay off the road during winter storms, unless travel is absolutely necessary.
Is it safe to drive in Alberta in the winter?
Stay off the road during winter storms, unless travel is absolutely necessary. If roads are closed, do not travel at all. Winter or snow tires are specially designed for the low temperatures and snowy and icy conditions we experience in Alberta. They provide better traction than regular or all-season tires.
Is the city of Edmonton responsible for clearing snow from roads?
Snow clearing is a shared responsibility. In order for roads to be cleared efficiently, Edmontonians and the City are partners in helping achieve safe and livable roads in neighbourhoods in the winter. Is the City bringing back Calcium Chloride?
What does the city of Edmonton do to keep roads safe?
In order for roads to be cleared efficiently, Edmontonians and the City are partners in helping achieve safe and livable roads in neighbourhoods in the winter. Is the City bringing back Calcium Chloride? Calcium chloride brine is not used as an anti-icing or deicing agent on roads.
Will the city of Edmonton salt and scrape the pavement this winter?
For the second winter in a row, city crews will attempt to salt and scrape their way to bare pavement. "We have to be realistic in the environment we work in, but that is a goal in terms of having a safe mobility network," said Brian Simpson with the City of Edmonton.
What does Edmonton use on icy roads?
The City uses a combination of sand and salt on roads to improve traction and melt snow and ice. The ratio of each differs depending on the conditions, and leads to variations in colour.
What do they put on roads in the winter?
WHAT CHEMICALS ARE USED IN ANTI-ICING AND DE-ICING? Sodium chloride (salt), magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, calcium magnesium acetate and potassium acetate are chemicals used to prevent and remove snow and ice from roadways.
Do they use salt on Alberta highways?
It's used alone or combined with sand to reduce the ice build up on highways. In Alberta 185,200 tonnes of salt were used in 2004/2005 to combat snow and ice on 27,724 km of 2 lane equivalent paved highways which translates into 6.68 tones per km.
Does Edmonton use calcium chloride?
EDMONTON -- The City will not be using calcium chloride to help clear streets again this year, despite one councillor's worries the replacement is just as bad for the environment and infrastructure.
What is the liquid sprayed on roads?
Salt brine is a solution of salt (typically sodium chloride) and water. It has a freezing point lower than pure water and, as such, is a useful tool in reducing the adhesion of snow and ice to road surfaces.
What is used to melt ice on roads?
The five of the more common types of road salts used in deicing operations are sodium chloride or rock salt, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, potassium chloride and salt blends.
What does Calgary use on icy roads?
The City of Calgary only uses sodium chloride and calcium chloride. Roads salts used for snow and ice control may be solid or liquid brines.
What does Canada use for icy roads?
Combatting snow and ice on roads and sidewalks in Canada requires more than just salt and sand. Beet juice, cheese brine, distillery byproducts, molasses mixes, fine-crushed blast rock and other remedies, are either staple ice-fighting recipes or part of pilot projects around the globe.
Is calcium chloride harmful to vehicles?
Other road salt deicers, like calcium chloride and magnesium chloride, involve more complex molecules that distribute more ions when they dissolve in water. When dissolved, these molecules can prove even more damaging to a vehicle's sheet metal than sodium chloride.
Is calcium chloride banned?
According to the CODEX General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA), it's official use is as a stabilizer, firming agent, and thickener. Calcium chloride is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (which never sounds like resoundingly confident endorsement).
What do they salt roads with?
The most common substance used for deicing roads and highways is Sodium Chloride (NaCl) or table salt known as rock salt when spread on the road because of its much larger granules. Nearly half a million tons is used annually in Massachusetts alone for winter road maintenance.
What is a snow windrow?
A snow windrow is the pile of snow that's left on the edge of your driveway after a snowplow clears the road.
What is Liquid Road Brine?
Liquid brine is an anti-icing treatment that is applied to the pavement before a winter storm. This solution is typically made up of sodium chloride water, but it can also contain Magnesium Chloride or Calcium Chloride.
Liquid Brine vs Rock Salt
Applying liquid brine to a road surface before a storm is the most effective way to prevent ice build-up, however solid rock salt can also be utilized in place of liquid brine. With this being said, there are some clear advantages to using a liquid brine instead of a salt.
Can You Drive on Treated Roads?
A liquid brine treatment occurs before a storm has even begun. You will see trucks with large tanks spraying roads with a liquid chemical to form a protective coating on the pavement.
How Much do Treatments Cost?
The initial cost of a liquid brine anti-icing treatment is typically higher than say the cost of applying rock salt, however, the high initial cost is quickly offset by the effectiveness of the treatment and the time and money that is saved in the end.
How is Liquid Road Brine Applied?
Liquid brine anti-icing treatments require professional application by a snow plowing and ice management company, as there is only a dedicated window before a storm that liquid brine can be applied in order to be effective and not waste time and money.
Professional Liquid Road Brine Treatments with Rasevic Companies
If you are looking to hire a professional snow removal company to apply a liquid brine anti-icing treatment, make sure you contact the company well in advance before a storm, as there is only a short window of time that this treatment will be effective.
Where is snow placed on a road?
On main roads, snow is placed in boulevards or left on roads. In cul-de-sacs, snow is stacked in the centre and removed during a clearing operation. No snow is placed in fields or in parks due to environmental concerns. Snow that gets removed from roads is trucked to one of four snow storage sites (snow dumps).
What are the challenges of Edmonton?
Edmonton has some unique challenges: its climate, population density, and the amount of roads and paths that the City is responsible for clearing. Edmonton has the third largest amount of roads (by kilometres), behind only Calgary and Toronto.
Why are bike lanes painted?
Painted bike lanes are cleared at the same time as adjacent main roads to ensure all travellers on busy routes are entitled to the same road maintenance standards, regardless of mode. Painted bike lanes are not cleared to bare pavement, but to the same level of service as the road they are on.
