This page was last updated on January 27, 2011.
Use sand, gravel on snowy roads; John M. Tomaszewski; Beaver County Times; January 27, 2011.
Since September 2004, this is at least the 55th letter from Mr. Tomaszewski with all but a handful spouting leftist talking points, with most bashing Republicans and/or former President Bush. A recent letter was entitled “If this be socialism, then give me more” and another advocated raising taxes.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“Not long after the snow falls on our roads and streets, the trucks come through spreading salt on them.
“This is a cheap way to make the snow-covered roads passable. The salt comes from shaft mines near Cleveland, Ohio, with little or no further treatment.
“My job took me to three Canadian provinces (Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec). During the winter months, sand and gravel were used on their snow-covered highways.”
[RWC] Assuming what Mr. Tomaszewski wrote is true, temperature could be a factor. Salt (NaCl) by itself becomes ineffective when the temperature gets below 10-15F. You need to add in other deicers like CaCl2 to handle lower temperatures. I don’t know the typical winter temperatures of “Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec,” but since upper Minnesota is south of Manitoba and south of most of Ontario and Quebec, it’s fair to say those temperatures are a lot lower than ours. For example, friends of mine lived in upper Minnesota and some parking lots there had outlets so you could plug in your car’s engine block heater.
“Without a doubt, the salt we use on our roads damages our environment and automobiles. Should we follow Canadians and use sand and gravel on snow-covered roads, not salt?”
[RWC] I don’t know about Mr. Tomaszewski’s Hopewell Township, but where I live some trucks spread salt and some spread sand. Sand and gravel also damage our vehicles and have an effect on our environment.
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