The city follows a city council adopted snow removal/ice control policy which provides for snow removal activities and establishes priorities for how this is accomplished. The council has not established a "bare pavement" or ice-free (safety) requirement. The city uses an industry-proven salting strategy that balances financial and environmental responsibility to achieve a safe driving surface for the public.
The effectiveness of salt in removing ice and snow from roads depends on several factors, including the moisture content of the snow, chemical concentration, pavement temperature, weather conditions, road surface topography, traffic volume and width of application.
Road salt is a great tool in the snow and ice fighting toolbox, but it is not a cure-all for all things icy and it doesn’t work well by itself. The purpose of salt is to dissolve the snow or ice into a brine solution, which then activates the melting process. Before any melting occurs, a heat source is required. The heat source can be air temperature above 15 degrees, radiant heat from the sun or even friction from tires (traffic). The city uses accepted industry guidelines that determine the amount of salt required to create the brine needed for various weather conditions.
Thus, treatment of slippery areas with chemicals/sand is essentially limited to high traffic thoroughfares, select hills and curves, and known hazardous intersections. For more information, view our salting strategies.
