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VDOT to try 'brining' interstate
VDOT readies for winter in Fredericksburg with $4.7 million and 500 pieces of snow-removal equipment
Date published: 11/11/2008
By KELLY HANNON One word sums up VDOT's new winter strategy: pre-treating. Before snow or ice has a chance to reach pavement this season, the Virginia Department of Transportation will apply salt, chemicals and a liquid brine solution to roads up to 48 hours in advance of storms. The goal is to treat roads--especially Interstate 95--before motorists are stranded on a bridge or overpass. Hundreds were stuck last February on the Springfield Interchange when an unexpected ice storm hit. The interchange's ramps had not been extensively pre-treated, since weather reports did not forecast a serious storm. VDOT devoted months to studying the incident and how operations could be improved. Consequently, pre-treating will get a new emphasis. In the Fredericksburg area, the region is getting eight tanker trucks that can "brine" Interstate 95 from Prince William County to Hanover County before a storm. The salt brine solution will prevent water from seeping into the pavement's pores and freezing, said David Stanley, VDOT's Fredericksburg Residency administrator. "It's going to really prevent that bond of ice from forming on the pavement," Stanley said. For people who think of brining as something done only to the Thanksgiving turkey, Stanley offered another example. "You may use aluminum foil to keep what you're cooking from sticking to the pan," Stanley said. "Brine has the same effect." Some New England states have used brine solution pre-treatment for several years. Statewide, VDOT has budgeted $75.8 million for snow removal this winter, down from $80.6 million last year and $82.6 million in the winter of 2006-2007. In the Fredericksburg District, there is $4.7 million for snow removal, up some from last winter. Overall, Virginia's transportation funding could decrease by up to $2.6 billion over the next six years, and VDOT is eliminating hundreds of positions as a result. To put snow-removal funding in perspective, a statewide snow event that affects each of VDOT's districts costs $10 million a day, Stanley said. VDOT is hoping for a mild winter. But it will be ready, in case it is not. The Fredericksburg District has 500 VDOT and contractor vehicles to remove snow, and it has 25,000 gallons of liquid calcium chloride, 15,000 tons of salt and 7,000 tons of sand stored to treat roads.
Date published: 11/11/2008
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