Why don't they salt roads before a snowstorm?

Question

It would just save time right? Or would it be detrimental to cars? Do they salt roads in advance already?

Answer 1

to spread salt early is a waste as cars and traffic will just throw it off the road. salt is laid after snow or ice falls to melt the ice.

more and more its becoming common to salt brine the roads prior to a snow coming. this is done with a mix of salt water and is laid on the ground normally in 5 straight lines.

to a test of your own and you'll see why they salt it afterwards and not before with actual rock salt.

take a plate and put a layer of salt on it then lay an ice cube on it. take another plate and lay an ice cube on it then salt over top of it. which melts faster?

Answer 2

Well I don't know about your state, but Illinois was salting the roads the second the freezing rain started hitting the pavement and the trucks were ready to go all day today - in fact within the first hour - the trucks had already salted all over the place. I think that sometimes, they try not to salt alot if they don't have to because it dries up the pavement and with the bitter cold and then the heat of the summer - it cracks and begins to deteriorate faster and then they have to repave it sooner. I think that's more of the issue than being detrimental to cars.

Answer 3

Salt melts ice, but one needs ice to be melted. If the road is clean and dry, albeit cold, putting salt would be the same a putting small rocks there, and any passing cars would fling the salt rock away, so by the time it starts snowing, all the salt would have been lost. Not very productive...

Answer 4

I don't think a bunch of salt rocks on top of dry pavement would be too nice. Salt rocks would be flying all over the place making noise and ruining my paint worse than already happens!

You have a good point. It seems most cities are slow to respond in a timely fashion. Much of the time there is plenty of chance to lay salt while the snow storms are getting started before it gets worse.

Answer 5

It is just too expensive to salt before the snow starts. On the highways where I live, in Michigan, they tend to mix salt and sand because it is cheaper and provides traction. Also, the sand sticks around for a while after the snowstorm and the salt dissolves. Sand can't be used in urban areas because it clogs the drainage system.

Answer 6

When I lived in NJ they would always salt the roads when it snowed. It helped quite a bit, but would ruin your shoes if you stepped in/on it and fenders and rocker panels rot out after a few seasons of that. Here in Oregon they do not put down salt for environmental reasons. It takes longer for the snow and ice to break down, but there are many more older cars out here, with no rotting of the fenders and it is not necessary to get your car undercoated like back East.

Answer 7

In Washington with budgets cut so short- our state can not afford to treat roads before the storms hit. They also use de-icer now- not salt. Salt is so corrosive . Good luck.

Answer 8

In Ohio here they put down a salwater type substance called brine before it snow and on bridges when it gets cold. It stays on the road when it drys. If they put down normal salt it wouldn't stick real well. Hope that helps.

Answer 9

sometimes they do. but if the salt so soon it can all get blown of the road by cars. salt also doesn't work in really cold temperates. once your like 6 degrees below freezing (or something like that) it has no effect.

Answer 10

In now in some cities the snow has to reach a certain level such as 3-4 inches for them to send out the trucks and plows. Oherwise, it wouldnot be worth the money.