Snow Removal Products

CDOT uses a variety of products to treat Colorado highways during a winter storm. All of the products contain salt with added corrosion inhibitors used to prevent or remove the build up of ice and snow on roads and minimize the impact on vehicles.

Anti-Icing vs. De-Icing

Anti-icing prevents the formation or development of bonded snow and ice for easy removal, and is used at the onset of a winter weather storm. Anti-icing products work by lowering the freezing point of water. While CDOT conducts anti-icing activities as a snowstorm is beginning, it does not pre-treat roadways by putting down product hours before a snowstorm.

De-icing breaks the bond of already existing snow and ice. The de-icing products dissolve downward and penetrate until they reach the pavement. De-icers melt the ice and snow it may be easily removed by mechanical means such as plows. They are not necessarily intended to clear every bit of ice and snow on the road, though the goal is to keep roads wet.

Both anti-icers and de-icers are winter road treatments that work as freezing-point depressants and are the most desirable and environmentally friendly way to treat winter weather roads.

Liquid De-Icers

Liquid de-icers are used for ant-icing and de-icing on roadways during winter weather conditions. CDOT uses three types of liquid de-icers:

• Magnesium Chloride- used when pavement temperature is above 16 degrees Fahrenheit
• Cold Temperature Magnesium Chloride- used when pavement temperature is below 16 degrees Fahrenheit and contains a corn bi-product to lower the freezing point
• APEX- is a magnesium chloride-based product used when the pavement temperature is above -4 degree Fahrenheit. Due to a lower freezing point, it can substitute for regular and cold temperature magnesium chloride.

Solid De-Icers

Solid de-icers are used for ant-icing and de-icing on roadways during winter weather conditions. CDOT uses two types of solid de-icers:

• Ice Slicer - made of granular salt and magnesium chloride
• Sand or Sand/Salt Mixture - mainly used in the high elevations and the eastern plains were more extreme cold temperatures exists and more traction is needed.