Anti-Icing

Anti-Icing is defined by the Federal Highway Agency in their publication "Manual of Practice for an Effective Anti-Icing Program" as "the snow and ice control practice of preventing the formation or development of bonded snow and ice by timely applications of a chemical freezing point depressant." 

This winter maintenance procedure is a proactive approach to ice and snow control - applying the chemical deicer before or at the storm's onset.

Deicing is the reaction to a winter storm after snow or ice has accumulated.  A chemical deicer is applied to the roadway for melting snow and ice after the storm. As a result of waiting until after the storm has ended, traffic has compacted the snow and ice firmly to the pavement.  Consequently, more deicer is required to produce bare pavement.

The concept of anti-icing is to place the chemical deicer at the beginning or just prior to the storm.  Operation timing becomes critical.  This deicer placement method will depress the freezing point of water as the snow begins to accumulate preventing the development of a bond between the pavement and snow.  With little or no pavement bond, ice and snow can easily be removed by plowing.

The Road Commission for Montcalm County has been implementing anti-icing for several years now, and have gone from one truck to three trucks county wide for anti-icing.  Anti-icing is now part of the winter tools of the Road Commission.