LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Michigan Department of Transportation is currently weighing options in using organic materials in combination with salt to prevent icy roads.
The mixtures, which include beet juice by-product, would reduce the amount of salt used, which can cause damage over time. The State already uses some mixtures involving corn by-product.
“[Salt] eats away at steel, it eats away at concrete, it eats away at our cars, and of course a lot of people know that,” MDOT administrator Mark Geib said.
Geib says that salt alone doesn’t help much in below-freezing temperatures.
“Below zero, at that point, salt is typically completely ineffective,” Geib said. “In fact, it can do more harm than good, because if it sits there and you end up getting a little bit of it working and it refreezes…you could be producing ice on the road, and we do not want to do that.”
Geib says the mixture could make use of road salt more effective.
“It does help prevent a little bit of corrosion, it’s a little better on the equipment, and it does help it stick to the road a little bit better too.”
Proposed legislation would require a testing pilot program for the beet juice mixture along with detailed results. The bill has already been passed by the Michigan Senate.
