Decision Tree for Pretreatments for Winter Maintenance

This study addressed pretreatment protocol for winter maintenance of roadways using brine. Information on pretreatment was assessed from surveys of personnel in state departments of transportation and county garages in Ohio. Field durability studies of various applications of brine were conducted on portland cement concrete and asphalt concrete pavements in Ohio. Over three winter seasons, weather events and resulting pavement conditions were documented during pretreatment and during the subsequent events using visual assessment and limited road grip tester assessment. In addition, extensive laboratory studies were undertaken to supplement the field investigations. Integration of the findings resulted in a decision tree to aid in operational planning and pretreatment.