Why does GDOT spread gravel on roads? (Atlanta, Marietta: price, move to)

[neil0311]

I noticed after the last storm and just saw on TV that GDOT spreads gravel on roads, supposedly to help with ice/snow. WHY? Don't they realize that gravel causes cracked windshields, dings on paint and wheels, and it really does nothing to help with traction. A mix of salt and sand is what almost all other jurisdictions use to help with winter roads, so anyone know why the idiots at GDOT insist on throwing rocks onto the roads?

[jln69]

It's better than leaving the icy roads alone for someone to slide out possibly leading to a major accident. The gravel will help with traction providing a coarse layer between the slippery ice and your tires.

Georgia doesn't get that many storms and it usually melts quickly making a supply of salt on hand not at the top of the priority list.

[marmac]

the price of salt is quite steep and has gone up this year

[Mamameko]

Salt also does quite a bit of damage to cars and the roads. Actually gravel works quite well for providing traction. It's what they use up in Alaska.

[neil0311]

They are using salt mixed with gravel. My point is that almost all towns in the northeast use sand. Marietta even used sand on some of the roads within the city....it provides traction without the broken windshields and paint chips.

I have never seen gravel used in any other place, but I can believe it about Alaska. Of course everyone in Alaska is driving a beat up 4x4 that sits 6 feet off the ground, so I doubt it affects too many vehicles there.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by marmac

the price of salt is quite steep and has gone up this year

My comment has nothing to do with salt...they still use salt...just mixed with gravel instead of sand. Sand is what you use....

[Bulldawgfan]

neil0311,

Salt will melt the ice... but when the salt is gone what you have left is water... which likely will turn back to ice again. Sand it great for traction, but needs to be applied often... which, at least in the southern region of the state, is probably required once every three years or so (in my neck of the woods, any ways). Cinders are used often, which pretty much start off as pea size gravel but crushes quickly... and ends up like sand, gone in a short amount of time. The happy medium is small rocks that seem to hang around longer. Long enough to find a windshield or two.
Whats the answer? Move to Miami or become heavily insured. So easy a caveman can do it.

[cityrover]

It is cheap, works FAST and typically goes away (blows off) quickly. The gravel/sand/silt mix they use isn't big enough to crack anything, but it will sandblast your paint and glass in the right conditions, including the parts where the wheels throw it against the body - had that happen to somebody on a ski trip.

Pure salt takes time to work and wears away too fast. Also to actually salt an entire road with it alone is $$$, and we dont hold enough in stock anyway for the 1-2 times they need to spot treat roads a year.

[WanderingImport]

GDOT is in the stone age and will be for a long time with all the budget woes.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

GDOT is in the stone age and will be for a long time with all the budget woes.

I've seen and read about MANY places outside of Georgia that use gravel mixtures for slick roads. It isn't a Georgia/Atlanta thing.