Problem
The 2013-2014 winter season proved to be challenging to roadway maintenance authorities; even before the winter season was officially over, salt stock piles and winter maintenance budgets had been severely depleted. The purpose of this project was to investigate the problems and successes of state DOTs in dealing with the salt shortages that occurred and to develop a best practices handbook that can be used to guide agencies in the best practices.
Objective
The goal of this project was to investigate and analyze issues related to deicing chemical supplies during the winter of 2013-2014. The investigation covered the available supply of deicing chemicals with a primary focus on road salt. The project identified where there were problems and why the problems existed. The goal was to have this project completed before the start of the winter of 2015-2016 so the best practices can influence operations during the winter as well as procurement and other logistics in the winters to come.
Results
A manual of best practices for procurement, storage, and use of salt.
This project was featured in an article in the October 2016 issue of APWA Reporter magazine.
The final presentation webinar took place on December 11, 2015.