Daily Decisions
Decisions are made daily based on local forecasts and on road temperatures rather than air temperatures. Salting is likely to take place whenever road temperatures are forecast to fall below +1ºC and ice is expected to form.
This decision is not taken lightly as each run uses approximately 80 tonnes of rock salt and costs include the salt, labour and fuel.
Why roads may still be icy
No guarantee can be given that roads will always be completely clear of ice or snow. If we are responding to a late change in forecast, or if we have to wait for rain to clear before we salt, wet roads may freeze before they are salted. We can not salt during wet weather as the salt would be washed away.
In severe cold weather below -8ºC, even salt will not prevent ice from forming.