How ice and snow affect roads
It should come as no surprise that cold temperatures affect roads here in mid-Missouri.
One place that often draws our attention first is bridges and overpasses. That’s because they’re surrounded by cold air. It’s a little bit easier to cool off those road surfaces when they’re not in contact with the ground. We often see some of that frozen precipitation develop and stick to elevated road surfaces more than on some surfaces that are still in contact with the ground.
What do we do about roads that are more prone to freezing?
We salt them.
Salt lowers the freezing temperature of precipitation it touches, melting ice on the road surface. However, the water can seep into cracks and crevices in cement or asphalt. If it refreezes, we see a lot of potholes developing during the spring.
