Does Chicago salt their roads in the winter? (Peoria: home, live in)

[Bakesalee]

Moving from AZ to IL next month.

My car had a brutal winter in Connecticut in 2008, and now my wheels are all rusty. I was just about to finally replace the rusty wheels for cosmetic reasons, but then realized Chicago might salt their roads too, so it could be a waste of money.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by Bakesalee

Does Chicago salt their roads in the winter?

Yes.

[pvande55]

They do but in recent years have had to cut down because they ran out. Some towns are experimenting with alternate materials.

[Halsted]

Yes they salt heavily

[summer22]

They salt heavily, which is bad for cars, but means you will have much safer driving than in other midwestern states/areas. I live in Indiana now where plowing and salting is touch-and-go. I miss the way the city cared for its streets in winter.

[snoylekim]

Between the salt and other de-ice chemicals , and our potholes , Chicago streets and roads are not wheel-friendly at all .. be forewarned ..

[Alacran]

Put some cheap tires you don't care about in the winter. Then change em in the summer

[Chicago60614]

I loved from elsewhere in the Midwest and LOVED that Chicago salts their streets. Back home they used nothing but sand because of environmental laws, and while it was more friendly to the earth, the roads were AWFUL. Nothing ever melted, just piled up and got packed down everywhere, and then in the spring there were mini beaches along the curbs of all the streets.

[css9450]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

Back home they used nothing but sand ...

Reminds me of Peoria, where I lived from 1982-1985. They used cinders from the local power plants. They made everyone's car just as filthy as the salt does, just a darker shade of gray, and not as corrosive. Come springtime there was tons of the stuff everywhere.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Bakesalee

Moving from AZ to IL next month.

My car had a brutal winter in Connecticut in 2008, and now my wheels are all rusty. I was just about to finally replace the rusty wheels for cosmetic reasons, but then realized Chicago might salt their roads too, so it could be a waste of money.

Hell yeah they salt the streets here. The streets would just be a giant ice-skating grid if they didn't.

Two winters ago the city experimented with not salting the side streets as a cost-cutting measure. That lasted exactly one snowfall. By the next snowfall they were right back to salting all of the streets.