With temperatures predicted to drop and the possibility of ice or snow the weekend, City of Olympia crews will work overnight Saturday and through the Monday holiday, if needed. Their primary focus is on major hills and the City’s lifeline travel routes. As appropriate, they will apply either a salt brine anti-icing agent or a sand/salt mixture.
The city’s five dump trucks have also been outfitted with snow plows and are ready to be deployed, if needed.
Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians are reminded to always use caution when traveling on hills, even if the anti-icing agent or sand mixture has been applied.
Lifeline roads are the main routes that fire, police and transit need to use. For a list of the City’s lifeline routes, check the City of Olympia website, www.olympiawa.gov/snow.
Information about what we use:
Salt Brine Anti-Icing Agent. When snow is predicted, a salt brine anti-icing agent is applied to Olympia’s lifeline roads and hills before the snow begins to fall. This helps to keep snow and ice from sticking to roadway surfaces for easier removal.
The salt brine is a combination of whey, salt and molasses. Whey is used in place of water because it contains salt naturally, which requires less of a salt additive. Molasses is used to help adhere the solution to the road surface. The molasses does cause some temporary staining, but it washes away as the snow and ice melts.
