News Releases

Date: July 6, 2007

Contacts:

Contact:	Company:	Phone:	Email:
Bill Brady	Cargill	952-742-6608	bill_brady@cargill.com
Jackie Renner	RCC	612-859-2626	rennercomm@aol.com
John Zicconi	VTrans	802-828-1647	John.Zicconi@state.vt.us

 

VTrans installing new technology to keep ice away, motorists safer

MINNEAPOLIS – Summer is here and that means Vermont motorists no longer need to worry about icy or snowy roadways.  But for state transportation officials it’s already time to start looking ahead at how to make next winter’s driving season safer.

This summer, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will install new technology designed to help increase safety and mobility on roads and bridges at the first test site in Vermont.  The technology, called SafeLane ™ Surface Overlay, is a patented combination of epoxy and aggregate that acts like a rigid sponge, storing anti-icing solution inside, then automatically releasing it as snow and ice conditions develop.  It also provides superior friction, giving drivers better traction year-round.

SafeLane overlay will be installed beginning Tuesday, July 10 (weather permitting) on the westbound lane of Route 9 near Searsburg, VT.    It will be applied to  8,300 square feet of  steep, mountainous road grade that is traditionally one of the state’s snowiest and most crash prone stretches. According to police, seven crashes and 20 complaints were reported during the 2005-06 winter season.

“VTrans constantly assesses new ways to protect the public’s safety,” said VTrans Secretary Neale Lunderville. “This research project’s goal is to improve traction and mobility for vehicles heading up Route 9 in Searsburg, which has a very steep grade. Cars and trucks frequently have problems in this area during winter storm events.”

SafeLane overlay, licensed and marketed by Minnesota-based Cargill, works in this way:  prior to a winter storm, VTrans plow truck operators will “charge” the overlay with their standard anti-icing chemicals.  The overlay stores the chemicals inside, automatically releasing them to help prevent frost or ice from forming on the roadway.  Plus, it keeps releasing the anti-icing chemicals over multiple events.  

“The Searsburg Mountain Project represents a new test for SafeLane overlay technology,” says Bob Persichetti, general manager for SafeLane™ Surface Overlay.  “We know that SafeLane overlay dramatically reduces ice and snow related crashes on roads and bridges, while sealing infrastructure to protect it and extend its life.  This project will test the overlay’s ability to also keep traffic moving on a steep mountain roadway during winter ice and snow events.”

For the past two years, Cargill has commissioned leading ice and snow control expert Dr. Wilfrid Nixon to analyze SafeLane overlay’s winter performance.  In his just-completed 2006-2007 report, Nixon, president of Asset Insight Technologies and professor of engineering at the University of Iowa, concludes that “there is now two years of consistent evidence that improved performance by SafeLane overlay under winter conditions…does indeed translate into safety improvements for the traveling public.” 

Nixon’s 2005-2006 performance report found no weather-related crashes at any of the nine SafeLane overlay test sites then in place.  Although cautioning that safety studies need to be conducted over a number of years to yield statistically significant results, the 2006-2007 report again found dramatic accident reduction rates among the 26 road and bridge test sites reporting data.  Copies of the report are posted at www.cargillsafelane.com.

 

 

About Cargill

Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 149,000 employees in 63 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit www.cargill.com.