Motorists might notice a darker residue from when road crews treat highways for ice this year.
Thats because beet juice is in the mix.
The Kansas Department of Transportation sometimes mixes beet juice which leaves a brownish or grayish residue with brine (saltwater) that it applies to roadways to melt ice or to slow its formation.
A KDOT news release explained the process and its benefits.
The properties of beet juice, when mixed with brine, allow the melting agent to be effective at lower temperatures. Depending on the level of concentration, the beet juice solution can help control ice at temperatures near 0.
Beet juice also allows brine and salt to adhere to pavement longer.
On bridges, which tend to get icy faster than other parts of the highway, beet juice bonds to the salt crystals in brine and helps the brine stick to a bridge deck longer, said Jim Frye, a KDOT field maintenance manager and emergency coordinator.
That means KDOT crews dont have to drive out as often to treat roads.
FRYE explained how beet juice works and how it has been used:
As moisture on pavement starts to freeze, the juice slows the process so the liquid remains slushy longer, giving crews more time to clear highways before the solution freezes.
One problem with spreading salt or spraying salt brine on a highway is that it will bounce away or scatter with traffic or the wind.
When the beet juice is added to the salt or salt brine, with its sticky texture, it will hold the salt or salt crystals on the highway longer, allowing it to work in our favor, Frye said.
KDOT began experimenting with the beet juice mix inf 2015 in northwestern Kansas. Since then, KDOT has made beet juice available at more than 20 locations across the state, including in Bourbon and Neosho counties in southeast Kansas.
