SYRACUSE -- The trucks the D.O.T. is using may not look like salt spreaders but that is exactly what they do. Instead of traditional rock salt, the tanks hold a concentrated salt water mix called brine. It is used before a storm to prepare the roads. Once the jets spray the mix on the road, the water evaporates leaving a thin layer of powdered salt.
Gene Cilento, from the NYS Department of Transportation, told Action News, "When the snow starts hitting, it hits the salt, starts melting the snow or the ice so the precipitation can't bond to the road surface which makes plowing much easier later on."
Since the new system is water based, that means the D.O.T. has to be watching weather forecasts even more closely.
Gene Cilento explained, "It is a timing game and that's what we're working on doing. You don't want to put it down hours and hours before it will get scattered around but you don't want to put it down too far before because you want that liquid part to evaporate so the solids remain."
The brine mix uses about one fifteenth of the amount of salt as a traditional spreader but it only works before the snow starts falling. Those savings add up, even though the mild winter has meant less salt usage overall so far this season.
“This year the stockpile is still good and everyday we get closer to spring is a better day”, said Cilento
But, they don't want to jinx it either since there's still a lot of winter ahead.
