Thursday morning during the Weekday Wake-up on Swift 98 and The Spur, Duke & Dahl asked listeners for their opinions on the products the Wyoming Department of Transportation uses on roads during the winter months.

Currently WYDOT pre-treats roads with a salt-brine solution that helps prevent the roads from icing over when possible.   Once the roads are slick, WYDOT typically spreads sand on the roads to help provide traction.

However, neighboring states such as Idaho and Utah treat icy roads with a salt mixture that helps melt the ice of the roads much faster.  Of course this makes the roads safer to drive on, but the salt can also cause corrosion on vehicles if left for long periods of time.

Radio listeners were asked to give their opinion, if they prefer the sand or would like to see the salt.  Below are their responses.

Pro Salt

“Go with salt on the interstate, but keep the gravel on the highways and county roads.”

“Salt!!! VAST difference in road conditions when you hit the Idaho and Utah state lines when heading south.”

“Salt is good! Just need a way to wash it off occasionally.”

“More salt! Just wash cars a bit more. Worth it for bare winter roads. Wrecking a car causes more damage than salt. :-)”

“We have lived here for 9 years, and every winter our vehicles get rock chips from the gravel on the roads. By Spring, they have typically spread across the windshield and we have to replace the windshields in our vehicles. Most WY vehicles have cracked windshields. PLEASE switch to salt Wyoming.”

“I would like to see the salt solution. I drive the roads every day and to me safety is more important than having to wash my car.”

Anti Salt

“I feel like the same people complaining about the sand would be the same people complaining about their rusty cars with salt. It’s ok to leave it be.”

“No salt you use gravel.”

“No, but I wished they didn’t use boulders in their sand mixtures. I have to replace windshields every year.”

“I’m all for using volcanic ash on the roads of Wyoming. Thayne switched to that a few years ago and it works great. Holds heat and melts nicely and doesn’t kill soil, plants or cars like salt does. It’s also significantly more cost effective than the sand salt mix used now.”

“I want to say thank you to WYDOT. Have you noticed the roads this year? New direction new management better roads thank you guys. I think we are okay.”

“Keep as is.”

“I’m hard enough on my vehicles don’t need the salt helping destroy it.”

“Keep it the way it is. The salt is also hard on the road.”

“No salt! Our road crews are awesome!”