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Caution signal out for winter driving
(by Sali McSherry - October 29, 2008)
Caution signal out for winter driving
By SALI McSHERRY
Orange, Moreland Hills and Pepper Pike are in shape for the beginning of the winter season with road salt, but conserving will be a priority, because of the limited supply for Greater Cleveland communities.
Pepper Pike Service Director Robert Girardi said this week that the city has enough salt to last until January. However, no compaines submitted bids when they were advertised in September and again this month. The city is one of 38 communities in a consortium with the Northeast Ohio Sourcing Office for purchasing power.
Pepper Pike Mayor Bruce H. Akers said that, partly due to last year's storm, which wiped out salt reserves and caused delays in shipping due to flooding on the Mississippi River, and rising costs of fuel, there is a shortage.
Currently, Pepper Pike has about 2,400 tons of road salt. Typically, approximately 6,500 tons are used in a year. The city stockpiled salt at the end of last year, Mr. Girardi said.
Last year, Pepper Pike spent about $38 per ton. This year, it's an open question. City Council agreed to permit the service director to purchase road salt up to $100 per ton when it becomes available.
Mr. Akers said the city needs the flexibility to act quickly on the issue.
Moreland Hills, which used about 2,750 tons of road salt last year, has 700 tons stocked away. Through a consortium deal with Ohio Department of Transportation, the village will be pledged 2,200 tons over the course of the season, according to Service Director Ted DeWater.
Orange also has a deal with ODOT, said Mayor Kathy U. Mulcahy. Last year, the village paid about $33 per ton, and this year it will pay $39.57 per ton.
Mr. Girardi is heading a committee of Cuyahoga County service directors to develop sensible salting strategies, he said. Many communities will try to be more uniform with each other with salting practices, first by reducing the amount used, which would decrease costs and the environmental impact, he said, and also by finding green alternatives.
For instance, Pepper Pike and Moreland Hills, along with other communities, won't be salting side streets. Mr. Girardi said the city could save about 2,000 tons of salt by adhering to that guideline. The service department will plow the side streets clean, he said, and salt them at intersections, curves, hills and other hazardous areas.
Communities also are looking into not salting streets between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. "What makes the salt work," Mr. Girardi said, "is traffic. That's why salting the highways works so well." But when there is very little traffic, it takes more, about twice the amount of salt to work on the roads, he said.
Communities are looking into de-icing streets with a mixture of Haydite, a ceramic lightweight aggregate made by expanding select minerals in a kiln, and salt, Mr. Girardi said.
Moreland Hills is going to try Geomelt, also known as beet juice, Mr. DeWater said, as well as Haydite, and cinders for traction and absorption purposes.
Pepper Pike will continue to use salt brine, a mixture of tap water and sodium chloride, which is applied to roads along with regular road salt, Mr. Girardi said. When the two materials are combined, they are more effective for snow and ice removal, he said.
Salt brine that is applied to roads in cold, dry weather actively prevents snow and ice from bonding, Mr. Girardi said. Each application lasts up to 48 hours, he said. It is useful for pre-treating the roads prior to a storm, he said. Dry road salt, when applied in the same weather conditions, rests on the surface and is inactive, he said.
Drivers are going to need to be more cautious, he said, especially on side streets.
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