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Arkansas puts in largest order of salt in state's history to combat icy roads this winter

Episode 3 (2023): Arkansas has made major investments to help make treating roads for ice and snow more effective and more efficient with new technology.

ARKANSAS, USA — As we mentally prepare for winter, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) has been preparing for winter 2023-2024 for several months. They are bringing new trucks and new technology to battle the snow and ice on the roads. Plus, Arkansas put in its biggest order for salt in its history.

Arkansas uses a multiple-pronged approach to attack and melt the ice/snow. Different storms call for different plans and different treatments. We interviewed ARDOT spokesperson Dave Parker about how they are treating the roads.

How roads are treated in Arkansas

  • Salt & salt brine:  go-to method to help lower freezing point
  • Beet juice & salt brine:  colder storms and you need to lower the freezing point even more
  • Sand:  when it's very cold or very snow and the above treatments are not doing enough to create traction on the roads
  • Calcium Chloride:  the last option to break up ice and snow in the worst storms (can damage the roads)

Tap here for the latest radar to track rain and snow across the USA.

New equipment and technology

Credit: 5NEWS

ARDOT has purchased more trucks, increasing their plow counts to nearly 650 plows and 600 salt spreaders.

"This year we've got one order we hope to get in soon— 40 new, large dump trucks that we can put with the plows, we're actually adding a series of smaller 10 to 12 smaller pickup trucks with smaller plows and can get in and maneuver smaller areas a little more mobile. "

Many trucks are also being equipped with new technology. There are computers that calculate how much salt a plow releases depending on speed. This makes a big difference. Many times a large portion of salt will go into the ditch, not the road. If you can carefully control the salt, you can make sure more of it stays on the road instead of being wasted.

Credit: 5NEWS

Arkansas's biggest salt investment

Arkansas purchased its largest order of salt for the upcoming winter. This will be used for salt events and for the beet juice brine. 

Our state purchased 70,000 cubic yards of salt this year and nearly half is sitting in Benton and Washington counties.

More Arctic Arkansas:

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