The Vermont Agency of Transportation’s Materials and Research Section conducted a study on the use of salt brine and salt brine mixtures.
The primary objectives of the research initiative, “Salt Brine, Salt Brine Blends And Application Technologies During the 2008-2009 Winter Maintenance Season” were to construct a salt brine facility, experiment with different combinations of salt brine and other ice melting additives, reduce the use of winter road sand while raising the level of service of state roads, and to determine if costs savings can be attributed to the use of salt brine and/or salt brine combinations.
The original scope of work included deploying three Stratos spreaders to conduct the experiment on control and experimental test sections on Interstate 89 in Districts 5 and 8. Due to equipment complications, the experiment was modified and included different roadway sections of similar length and characteristics in both districts.
Results have shown that the experimental section saved an average of 24 percent of material usage over the 2008-2009 winter season.
