This winter, you’ll notice the City of Timmins spraying something onto the roads that’s different from the usual rock salt or sand. It’s brine, a simple salt-water mixture that can be more effective than regular salt in dealing with northern Ontario’s cold weather driving conditions.
The City’s Public Works Department will be using a 29% brine solution that reduces the amount of salt being directly applied to major high-traffic arterial roads and collectors, which means less cost, less corrosion on the road surface, and it’s gentler on the environment.
But the benefits don’t stop there. In terms of road safety, brine melts the same way as solid rock salt, but because it’s applied as a liquid, it can begin to work immediately. Brine sticks to the pavement better than dry salt and is more effective in lower temperatures. When applied, the brine solution prevents a bond between snow and pavement, keeps snow from being compacted by vehicle traffic, and makes plowing easier.
When and where the City applies brine depends on the weather and the road classification. The City will continue to use solid rock salt or sand on secondary roads, residential roads, and rural country roads. Usage is also determined by temperature, humidity, and conditions. Brine works before a storm, when the road surface is bare, and can be applied up to two days prior.
No one strategy covers all of the scenarios in any given storm or weather event. The City will continue to monitor conditions and deploy winter road and sidewalk maintenance as required.