Positive Results for Road Ice Treatment

Many Tasmanians are very familiar with the hazard posed by ice formation on public roads during the winter months. As part of our ongoing commitment to innovate and provide better services to Tasmania and the travelling public, Stornoway Maintenance has pioneered the use of environmentally friendly chemical ice treatments to assist motorists enjoy safer road conditions.Through the application of a spray on solution, the treatment both prevents ice formation (if applied prior to icy conditions), or causes rapid ice breakdown, resulting in a safer driving environment much faster. With numerous studies showing negligible environmental impact, the treatments are considered industry best-practice and widely used in sensitive alpine areas in Australia and overseas.Stornoway Maintenance undertook a trial of Calcium Chloride chemical ice treatment with the Hobart City Council (HCC) over a 1.3km section of road in the winter months of 2006.The areas that were trialled with Calcium Chloride were isolated sections of road that had traditionally been subject to ice. These locations included shaded or damp areas such as roads in gullies and near rivulets. The treatment was not required over long road lengths, rather short isolated sections were targeted for treatment.The trial was very successful in terms of preventing ice forming on the treated sections of roads. The photo below was taken on26 July 2006.Ice did not form where the road was treated with Calcium Chloride. It did however form on sections of the road and the sides of the road which were not treated.These results occurred consistently throughout the trial. Ice did not form on those sections of the road that were treated.As a result, Mountain Park officers were not required to spread grit on the areas that were treated with Calcium Chloride.The outcomes of this trial were very positive and resulted in the HCC engaging Stornoway Maintenance to monitor and maintain the ice affected roads on an ongoing basis.