Problem
The Clear Roads Qualified Products List (QPL) assists transportation agencies in choosing and purchasing winter maintenance products by evaluating and establishing specifications for products that emphasize safety, environmental preservation, infrastructure protection, cost-effectiveness and performance. Products with pH levels that are outside of an acceptable range can be a significant safety risk, leading to corrosion in highway infrastructure and environmental pollution.
Objective
The QPL describes a waiver request process for deicing products that do not meet the pH requirements due to high organic compound content. The intent of this research is to determine if exemptions are warranted and under what circumstances.
Expected Results
Recommendations from this research could potentially increase the number of available deicing products on the QPL, improving the winter maintenance operations of transportation agencies through competitive pricing and other factors, while ensuring structural and environmental safety. The research will also help to identify products that should be removed from the QPL.