ALDOT plans to pre-treat roads with de-icer
MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) — The Alabama Department of Transportation is preparing for the possibility of icy road conditions next week. ALDOT spokesman James Gordon says crews will begin pretreating roads with a deicer potassium acetate on Sunday, ahead of the wintry mix hitting our area.
"It prevents whatever snow that might melt, that becomes ice, from becoming ice," said Gordon.
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The focus, he says, will be bridges, like the Bayway, overpasses, and ramps on major roads, like 1-10 and 1-65. The proactive approach hopefully avoids a repeat of the 2014 ice storm that caused many accidents and near misses with cars sliding on roads. If ice forms in areas, Gordon says they'll apply calcium magnesium acetate or CMA, which helps ice melt and also apply sand to help with traction. Gordon says they don't use rock salt because it's corrosive and not ideal for bridges and cars.
"Even other parts of the country are not using salt as we as we know it, mainly because of the corrosive elements in it," said Gordon.
The winter weather could wreak havoc not just on roads but also on your utility bills.
"When it starts to get cold outside, it takes a lot more energy to heat your home and keep it at the temperature that you like," said Vernita Rodgers, Spire Community and Agency Services Manager.
Spire, which provides natural gas to 83,000 customers on the Gulf Coast, says it offers payment assistance to those who qualify. Those who want to avoid spikes in their bills when usage increases can sign up for budget billing. https://spireenergy.com/assistance
"That will level out their payment for the next 12 months," said Rodgers.
Alabama Power offers similar assistance:
