Fort Wayne turns to brine to keep roads free of ice

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - The city of Fort Wayne will try using brine to keep its streets clear of ice this winter.

The Journal Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/2f34cMD ) the city's Public Works Department is mixing its own salt brine solution to pre-coat roads to prevent ice from binding to pavement. Street Commissioner Brian Shimkus says it takes three to four times more salt once ice has bonded to pavement, and the brine will create a barrier preventing that.

Public Works Director Bob Kennedy says the city previously used calcium chloride to treat salt, but that cost about 68 cents per gallon. The new salt brine mixture costs about three cents per gallon to make. He says a combination of the two will cost less than 20 cents per gallon.

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Information from: The Journal Gazette, http://www.journalgazette.net