FEASIBILITY OF ALTERNATIVE SALT STORAGE STRUCTURES IN SASKATCHEWAN - NEILBURG CASE STUDY

The focal point of an efficient winter maintenance program is to provide safe driving conditions by breaking the bond between snow/ice and the road to enable traction between tires and the road surface during operating and braking. In regards to Saskatchewan Department of Highways and Transportation (DHT), the primary winter maintenance objective is to provide snow and ice free conditions on the provincial highway network. This is generally achieved by applying salt and other de-icing materials in the right place at the right time. To achieve this objective it is important to have salt stored in strategic locations where it can be easily accessed when needed. In the past DHT has primarily utilized wooden salt storage facilities to ensure adequate salt storage. Over the past several years the department has incorporated other storage devices to ensure good access to salt when required. One of the more recent cases involves the assessment for road salt storage at Neilburg, located in west central Saskatchewan. DHT typically uses two different types of salt storage facilities: one, wooden salt sheds and two, steel salt silos. Most wooden salt sheds are wooden structures with a concrete base consisting of 1.2 meter high pony walls and either a concrete or an asphalt treated floor. Salt silos, the second alternative, are made of a steel bins suspended above the ground and supported by a concrete pad or concrete pilings. This raised type structure enables trucks to load directly under the silo. The truck’s hydraulic system is hooked to the salt silo control box to open and close a gravity feed chute allowing quick and efficient salt loading. This type of setup does not require the utilization of a separate loader or conveyor system. To ensure that DHT minimizes salt storage costs a software analysis, Decision Programming Language (DPL), is used to perform life cycle benefit cost analysis and evaluate different performance indicators in the selection of the appropriate salt storage facility. The main purpose of this paper is to describe different salt storage facilities utilized by DHT’s Central Region and what performance indicators influence the decision-making process. Recent analysis work, completed for a site located at Neilburg in west central Saskatchewan, will be used to demonstrate the process. Key terms: efficient winter maintenance program, snow and ice free conditions, storage facilities, salt material, salt sheds, salt silos, Decision Programming Language, life cycle benefit cost analysis.