13 May 2021
Municipality: St-Valérien (Rimouski County)
Project: determine the optimum mix of de-icing products, given the spreading surface (number of kilometers) and the benefits of available products (road salt, calcium chloride, abrasives, etc.)
Project specifications: optimum performance and road safety
Timeframe: 2011 to 2018
Main customer challenges
- Improve the general condition of gravel roads (potholes and frost boil from freezing)
- Reduce the amount of abrasives spread
- Abrasive piles are frozen and hard to handle during snow removal operations
Solutions recommended
- Mix of salt and gravel, ideal for asphalt roads (no gravel): cover large surfaces in harsher weather conditions (Rimouski-Neigette) for safe roads (excellent for traction)
- Reduced amounts of abrasive, since it sticks to ice
Results and customer impact
- Significant improvement of road quality
- Fewer snow removal operations and less abrasive loss from bouncing through better ground adhesion of the Somavrac C.C. mix
- Uniform, malleable piles at lower temperatures
- Non-abrasive for the municipality’s salt spreader tank