Saturday, February 01, 2014

Salt, Salt, Everywhere Salt

After all the lousy weather we've had in DC in the past month — the freezing rain, the several snow falls — it has finally passed. No more snow. No more ice. But what is left is salt, salt, salt.

This is from the Post and tells what's been dumped on the roads lately:

Since the first flakes of the season, back in November, Maryland road crews have spread more than 280,000 tons of salt on state highways, Virginia has put down 112,000 tons and the District 24,000 tons. That doesn’t include dozens of local jurisdictions and hundreds of thousands of homeowners salting side roads and sidewalks and driveways — along with our shoes and suits and shrubs. When it snows, it pours.
 My car which sits most of the time has one side covered in the stuff too. But it is every where on the roads. In parking lots. Even on the Metro. The salt itself is now become a problem. I've slipped on int a couple times. Actually I supposed I slid on it.

Here are a few pictures of the salt, salt, salt.

New Metro cars no longer have carpet on the floor. The result is you can really see the salt that's built up

A parking lot. The surface is blacktop by the way.

The base of a light pole.

1 comment:

Ed Peaco said...

In southwest Missouri, the highway people are using a salt that includes nitrogen, which is flammable. So, during thaws, on some of the roads through forested areas, we're getting brush fires over long stretches of shoulder. Nothing major, just weird.