Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005
Member
Posts: 13833
American by Birth, Southern by the Grace of God.
Beautiful east Tennessee ( GOD'S Country )
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« on: December 19, 2009, 05:49:57 AM » |
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Beet juice is the new tool for state road crews working to clear snow and ice.
This winter, the state Department of Transportation is using beet juice mixed with salt and salt brine at various locations across Tennessee.
Beet juice is a by-product of the beet after the sugar has been extracted.
"The beet juice compound will help the salt stick to the roadway for a longer period of time which will make the salt and salt brine more effective and will help reduce the amount of salt used by TDOT," said TDOT Chief Engineer Paul Degges.
"The beet juice should also help reduce the amount of salt that bounces off the roadway when applied by the trucks," Degges added.
TDOT will also use several larger, 14-foot-wide front snow plows this year.
The plows are over four feet larger than TDOT's other plows. They can clear an entire lane in a single pass. In the past, trucks had to make two trips to clear a lane.
Six new concept trucks will be fitted with a 14-foot front plow and an underbody plow. The underbody plow is installed under the middle of the truck. It can apply downward force that helps remove hard packed ice.
Three of the new concept trucks will also have an eight-foot-wide wing plow mounted to the side. It clears one and a half interstate lanes in a single pass.
TDOT is also testing a new speed control computer that adjusts the amount of salt applied to the roadway based on the speed of the truck and the predicted precipitation.
The new computer controller should help reduce the amount of salt used by TDOT.
TDOT has more than 160,000 tons of salt and more than 1.1 million gallons of salt brine ready for use.
The department has budgeted more than $12 million this year for snow and ice removal operations across the state.
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 I've seen alot of people that thought they were cool , but then again Lord I've seen alot of fools. |
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PAVALKER
Member
Posts: 4435
Retired Navy 22YOS, 2014 Valkyrie , VRCC# 27213
Pittsburgh, Pa
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« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2009, 06:20:42 AM » |
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Yep, PENNDOT has been using beet juice on the PA Turnpike for last 2 years that I know of..... wouldn't drink it tho...  |
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John  |
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six2go #152
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« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2009, 06:49:14 AM » |
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" The department has budgeted more than $12 million this year for snow and ice removal operations across the state." LOL! He!!, I think our city budgets that much.  |
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Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005
Member
Posts: 13833
American by Birth, Southern by the Grace of God.
Beautiful east Tennessee ( GOD'S Country )
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« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2009, 07:01:18 AM » |
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" The department has budgeted more than $12 million this year for snow and ice removal operations across the state." LOL! He!!, I think our city budgets that much. Welcome to Dixie  |
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I've seen alot of people that thought they were cool , but then again Lord I've seen alot of fools. |
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Momz
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« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2009, 12:14:57 PM » |
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Beet juice can also be used in the production of ethanol for E85 fuel. I wouldn't drink Beet juice, nor will my Valks ever be fed E85 fuel. With that said,.....Beet juice is far less corrosive on our Valk aluminum wheels!  |
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 ALWAYS QUESTION AUTHORITY! 97 Valk bobber, 98 Valk Rat Rod, 2K SuperValk, plus several other classic bikes |
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Daniel Meyer
Member
Posts: 5493
Author. Adventurer. Electrician.
The State of confusion.
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« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2009, 07:46:16 AM » |
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But won't beet juice color the entire state something like...aggie purple?
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CUAgain, Daniel Meyer  |
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six2go #152
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« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2009, 08:51:31 AM » |
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Our city of New Haven has been using beet juice mixed with salt for three seasons now, it works great plus our streets were plowed in less than two days, much better service than our big brother to the west. Take that Doug! Well, I don't know what triggered that response, but I do know that New Haven SHOULD have the streets within it's 8.2 square miles plowed before we get our 100's of miles of streets cleaned. We have emergency & priority routes that are always taken care of promptly and neighborhood streets follow. Ya know, I grew up in a small town and prefer that lifestyle too. But now, I happen to live in Ft.Wayne & think it's not bad for a larger town. I know that you always seem to take every opportunity to "slam" Ft.Wayne. But where did you earn your living all those years? Where do Mark & Chris work? Where do you go if you need a hospital? Where do you go to workout? Where do you guys go to celebrate a Birthday at a nice restaurant? Where do you go to buy your clothes and other necessities? Could it be Ft.Wayne? My guess would be "yes" to most of those. |
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solo1
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« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2009, 10:39:45 AM » |
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Wow, I did that tongue in cheek, evidently I put my foot in my mouth instead. As you know Doug, i lived in Ft. Wayne before I got married and I've got many fond memories of Ft. Wayne. I just can't abide the sorry politics in Ft. Wayne. I found out that when i was councilman and I tried to work with Ft. Wayne on some problems. Sorry for the stompin' on your toes. Subject is closed, permanently. |
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fstsix
Guest
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« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2009, 11:37:46 AM » |
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I must agree with the post above with all this Global warming, and damage we do to mother Earth with salt going into our water shed, one would think maybe we could start small to help our environment,maybe more sand or something less harsh and that would not disturb the rivers and streams, Amazing how the Gov will go after the big stuff but ignore the small stuff they cant make any money on.
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