Special Mix of Salt, Water, and Juice Saves Roads and Money
JACKSON, Tenn-As the temperature drops, some counties in West Tennessee may experience freezing rain. Just in case, employees at the Tennessee Department of Transportation are preparing to keep the roadways safe using an interesting mix to combat the ice. For years TDOT employees have used what is known as brine, 23 percent salt, mixed with water, to separate the ice from the roads. Now they are adding 10 percent potato juice, to help melt ice at lower temperatures. “We pump the brine into the tanker, followed by potato juice,” said Bill Hazlerig, a TDOT supervisor. “After we pump them, they’re mixed in the truck and dispersed on the roads.” He said potato juice melts ice at -34 degrees; and there are other advantages. “We can put it out less than 40 cents a gallon. It’s much cheaper than just using pure salt,” Hazlerig said. TDOT officials said currently they are keeping at least 4,000 gallons of potato juice in stock, in case of emergencies.
