Road crews across mid-Michigan are changing their winter storm strategy as bitter cold temperatures make traditional rock salt less effective on icy roads.
- Road crews in Lansing are using sand instead of salt to treat roads due to the bitter cold temperatures in our neighborhoods.
- Lansing’s public works director says the city has used 5,500 tons of salt this winter so far, nearing a typical year’s usage.
- A spokesperson for a statewide road group says a short-gap in funding is creating challenges for winter workers.
WATCH: ROAD CREWS USE SALT INSTEAD OF SAND AMID EXTREME MICHIGAN COLD
Road crews use sand instead of salt amid extreme Michigan cold
With below-zero wind chills and daytime highs barely reaching the teens, crews are turning to sand mixed with chloride instead of relying on salt alone. The extreme cold reduces salt’s ability to melt snow and ice, forcing a tactical shift in how municipalities fight winter weather.
“We’re not using a whole lot right now because of the temps. So that’s why you see that sand. It’s chloride sand mix,” said Andy Kilpatrick, Lansing’s director of public works. “That’s what we’re applying now because it’s more effective in providing traction until we get up to say 15 to 20 degrees.”
So far this winter, Lansing has used 5,500 tons of salt compared to a typical year’s usage of 6,000 to 8,000 tons. Kilpatrick explained that salt’s snow-melting power plummets in extreme cold conditions…