ODOT Will Use Salt On the Roads in Policy Shift

Salt is coming to the roads of Oregon. After years of refusing to use rock salt, the Oregon Department of Transportation doing a bit of an about face.

Oregon has been one of only six states in the country to not use rock salt to help melt snow and ice on roads. The other five states are in the south.

The state will continue to use a magnesium chloride solution as its go-to in wintry conditions but will have salt as a backup for problem areas and situations where they need to speed up the melting process.

Oregon has stayed away from rock salt for several reasons including the cost of storing it and the damage it does to roads and cars.

The state, though, was criticized for performance - or, lack thereof, - earlier this week when barely two inches of snow and ice turned the Portland region into a parking lot with many people finding what are normally 20-minute commutes into hours-long challenges.

And magnesium chloride can also be problematic, damaging vehicles and harming the water supply.

The move follows a decision earlier this year when the state started using rock salt on roads near the Oregon borders with California, Idaho, and Nevada.

ODOT has built two salt storage facilities - both in the southern part of the state.

File photo Michael Pereckas via Wikimedia Commons