Chemical salt may defrost Desert Rd

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 683, 22 April 1997, Page 1

Chemical salt may defrost Desert Rd

A chemical salt will be used to melt Desert Rd ice this winter if Transit New Zealand gets the nod from environmental groups. The roading authority plans to trial the chemical salt for the next four years to keep State Highway One open. The road has already been closed this year, on Saturday night for about four hours, due to snow. Plans to use common salt were canned last year after protest from road users that it would rust vehicles. Calcium magnesium acetate, a chemical salt, does not corrode cars, but costs 15 times more than common salt. Turn to Page 2

Chemical salt for Desert Rd

FROM PAGE 1 Regional State highway managerColin Knaggs said a meeting would be held in the next two weeks with environmental groups. TNZ plans to ask regional council Environment Waikato to hold a hearing

in May if environmental groups are still opposed. "We're trying to get everything in place so we can start using the chemical this winter," Mr Knaggs said. , Desert Rd closures have increased in length and number since TNZ took

over management fi ve years ago. Last year the road closed nine times for an average of 1 3 hours. Between 1 990 and 1 995 it closed an average of 12 times a year, with an average closure length of 50 hours in 1995.