The village of Wauconda is considering using Molasses instead of rock salt in the winter, the Chicago Tribune reports.
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, February 15
Rock salt is the most common form of de-icing streets during the snowy winter months, but many suburbs, including nearby Wauconda, are considering using alternatives, the Chicago Tribune reports. The village of Wauconda is considering using molasses, which would save them 10 percent in costs. Molasses has similar components to beet juice, which is another common ice-buster, although molasses has less pulp, the Tribune reports. The village of Niles has been using a beet juice mixture to combat ice since 2011 for both cost effectiveness and environmental reasons.
Lake County Division of Transportation turns to innovation to save money on clearing roads in winter.
The Lake County Division of Transportation (DOT) is using innovative methods such as beet juice mixed with salt and GPS systems on snowplows to improve efficiency. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) were installed on 33 Lake County DOT snowplows this year in an effort to improve the efficiency of snow removal. "We can watch the trucks on the street, see where they are, what materials they are using and at what rates," said Kevin Kerrigan, engineer of maintenance for Lake County DOT. "We plan on using the information to redesign routes and make them more efficient." Kerrigan said, previously, DOT staff would have to wait until the snowplows returned and then manually record the data. The DOT is planning to use the information to balance …
