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News Coverage

 

    February 2008

    APWA’s Ohio Corridors

    “I feel SafeLane® overlay has contributed significantly to improving traction on that ramp,” (Ohio Turnpike Maintenance Engineer Tim) Ujvari said.”
    SafeLane ® Surface Overlay (PDF)

    Construction Bulletin

    “Although the use of an epoxy sealant is not novel, the retention of deicing chemicals by the special aggregate employed may lead to a remarkable improvement in performance from a safety perspective,” says Dr. John Evans, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD).
    New product improves road safety (PDF)


    December 2007

    GoBridges.com

    "Our goal is to reduce winter weather-related accidents. I like the added benefit of the overlay helping to prevent future chloride intrusion into the bridge decks,” noted Sarah Wilson, IDOT bridge maintenance engineer.
    Surface overlay technology targets single solution to dual problems (PDF)


    November 2007

    Scenta

    Each winter, many services are on full alert to keep us safe on the roads. But now, new de-icing technology could be on the way to make roads (in the UK) even safer.
    Keeping roads safe for winter (PDF)


    October 2007

    Indianapolis Star

    "Anything that's going to stop an accident in what has been a very troubled spot is a good investment to make," Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Andy Dietrick said of the project.

    New coat for roads keeps ice away (PDF)

    WTHR.com, Indianapolis

    "We hear the sirens, and we say, oh, there must be a wreck on the bridge," said Seymour resident Marilyn Olmstead.  This year, INDOT plans to tackle icy road conditions on the bridge proactively by installing...the SafeLane™ system...

    SafeLane could result in safer winter driving (website)

     

    September 2007

    Finance and Commerce

    John Bray, a spokesman with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, said the improvements he has observed on Highway 169's Mitchell Bridge in Hibbing have been remarkable.

    Improving safety on bridges in Minnesota (PDF)

    WLS-TV, Chicago

    Live interview of SafeLane™ surface overlay general manager, Bob Persichetti on WLS-TV, Chicago

    Safer roads (website)

    The Chicago Tribune

    "We are very eager to see how effectively this works," said Mike Claffey, an IDOT spokesman.  "If it will increase safety and reduce the amount of time we have to drive back and forth salting over the bridges, our trucks can be off plowing other roads."

    Bridges get new coat for winter (website)

    The Hibbing Daily Tribune

    The de-icing solution added to the southbound lanes of the Mitchell Bridge has been coined by a transportation official to possibly be the "biggest innovation in highway safety since the invention of the snowplow."  Results of a recent study of the surface overlay's first winter of activity are substantiating that claim.

    De-icing solution makes 'significant' difference (PDF)

     

    August 2007

    Bridge Design & Engineering

    A new technology with a track record of reducing weather-related crashes has begun attracting attention for a second reason.  The surface overlay...acts like a rigid sponge, storing anti-icing chemicals and automatically releasing them as snow and ice conditions develop.  But equally intriguing is the fact that it seals the road surfacing to prevent its degradation.

    Second Opinion (PDF)

    Better Roads

    "It seemed to me this technology might help the traffic guys address safety needs and get an overlay on these bridges to help with maintenance," says Gary Williams, district bridge engineer, PennDOT District 3.  "We are piloting the application to see how it works."

    Twin Bridges, Two Problems, One Potential Solution (PDF)

    Public Works Magazine

    PennDOT managers felt confident enough in the overlay's winter performance to proceed with the Johnson Creek Bridges project on Route 15.  In May, the department installed the overlay on both the north- and southbound lanes of the 765-foot-long concrete decks of the twin Johnson Creek Bridges.

    Dual-purpose epoxy (PDF)

     

    July 2007

    Rutland Herald

    The Searsburg installation is unusual not just because it's the first in the state, but also because it's the first time the overlay is being installed on a road with such a steep grade.

    Searsburg installs high-tech de-icer (PDF)

    Bennington Banner

    According to Jennifer Fitch, a research engineer for AOT, last winter produced 22 incidents and seven accidents at the location (Searsburg, VT).  "You put this where you want to reduce accidents," said Fitch.

    State AOT installs new technology to fight icy roads (PDF)

     

    June 2007

    The Fargo Forum

    “We wanted to try something different to cut down on crashes,” said Tom Swenson, the district traffic engineer for MnDOT. “We hope it makes a difference.”

    I-94 bridge getting de-icing technology (website)

     

    May 2007

    Wellsboro Gazette
    Bob Persichetti, general manager for SafeLane™ surface overlay, watches as crews work to squeegee the black oil-like epoxy onto the concrete surface of the twin Route 15 bridges that span Johnson Creek, south of Blossburg..."SafeLane™ can extend the life of roads and bridges by acting as a sealant to reduce the effects of chloride and water intrusion.  More importantly, it can reduce vehicular crashes and save lives," says Persichetti.
    Tioga County bridges are test site for new Cargill safety technology (PDF)

 

  • April 2007

  • American City & County
    “This season we have had heavy snow and conditions of six below zero when every stretch of road iced over, and I mean everywhere, except for [the bridge treated with SafeLane™],” said Steve Giese, Indiana Department of Transportation. “As for savings, this doesn't save me money, but it saves me accidents. If I can get 36,000 vehicles over that bridge in an ice storm without any crashes, it's worth its weight in gold.”
    Stopping accidents cold (website)
  • Minnesota Trooper
    "From the time I was a young kid traveling from Chisholm to Hibbing to see my grandmother or cousins who lived on Third Avenue, I can recall white-knuckling in that old rickety car as we went over this bridge, " Congressman James Oberstar recalls.
    Surface Overlay Replaces Anti-Icing System on Highway 169 Bridge (PDF)
  • February 2007

  • Concrete International
    “It never really worked,” says Duane Hill, MnDOT Assistant District Engineer for Maintenance Operations, of an automated deicing spray system that SafeLane overlay replaced.
    New Technology Keeps Ice Away and Drivers Safe
     (PDF)
  • GoBridges.com
    “We had no calls, no complaints, and most importantly, no accidents,” Ron Cole, of the Forest County Highway Department notes in the story.
    Safe in the Snow
    (PDF)
  •  

    December 2006

  • ForConstructionPros.com
    Impressive results in reducing winter weather-related accidents by SafeLane™ HDX overlay led to requests for commercial applications of the technology.  SafeLane™ CA-48 overlay has all the same anti-icing and anti-skid benefits of its parent, but a smaller aggregate ideal for parking lots and ramps, airport baggage handling areas, public transportation platforms, sidewalks and pedestrian walkways, and store fronts.
    Making Safe Lanes (PDF)
  •  

    October 2006

  • New Jersey Star Ledger
    "We've always said safety is one of our highest priorities, and the onus is on us to make sure we put in place these new technologies," says New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri of the SafeLane™ installation in Paterson.
    State introduces high-tech surface to combat icing
    (website)
  • Milwaukee Small Business Times
    The Milwaukee Small Business Times asks, "How can better roads be built for less?" and suggests that SafeLane™ is one of the solutions.
    Milwaukee Small Business Times (website)
    Build Better Roads for Less (PDF)
  • Better Roads
    Better Roads reports that the results of a study of SafeLane™ overlay shows that the material keeps bridge lanes open in snow and ice.
    Keeping Bridges and Ramps Open (PDF)
  • Tri-City Herald
    "We want to see if this technology can reduce or eliminate those weather-related accidents," said Jim Henderson, a DOT maintenance supervisor of the SafeLane™ installation near Prosser, Wa.  The Tri-City Herald reports about 70 percent of the 51 crashes there over five years were caused by snow and ice on the roadway.
    Gaining Traction (PDF)
  •  

    September 2006

  • Roads and Bridges
    "This is potentially the biggest technological breakthrough for improving highway safety in snow-belt regions since the invention of the snowplow," said John Bray, District 1 of MnDOT.
    From Spray 2 Spread
    (PDF) 
  •  

    August 2006

  • Bridge Design and Engineering
    Accident statistics from last year’s winter season show a dramatic improvement in safety at SafeLane™ overlay installation sites reports Bridge Design and Engineering in their winter maintenance edition.
    Safety is No Accident
    (PDF) This article is reproduced with permission from Bridge design & engineering magazine
  • Williamsport Sun-Gazette
    Two relatively new bridges near Blossburg, PA with a history of crashes will receive the newly developed SafeLane™ anti-icing overlay with the $700,000 cost partially covered by a Federal Highway Administration grant of $150,000.
    Johnson Creek Bridge to receive new deicing treatment (PDF)
  • Pennsylvania Ag Connection
    State transportation departments in Idaho, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas are getting grants from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to facilitate installation of Cargill’s SafeLane™ surface overlay on problem bridges.
    Four state transportation departments are getting grants (PDF)
  • Wisconsin Engineer Journal 2006
    Engineers Give Ice the Cold Shoulder—Wisconsin bridges serve as test sties for new ice-free technology
    The Wisconsin Engineer Journal reports on SafeLane™ overlay test sites on the Wolf River Bridge near Crandon and the Blatnik Bridge between Superior and Duluth, MN. (Note a third Wisconsin test site was added in September 2006 at the northbound US 53 and westbound US 2 interchange near Superior.)
    SafeLane™, a new anti-icing pavement overlay, has been applied to two test locations in Wisconsin
    (PDF)
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© 2007 Cargill, Incorporated. SafeLane™ is a trademark of Cargill, Incorporated.