Cars without rust... In Alaska

"cuts_off_prius" (cutsoffprius)
12/01/2013 at 18:31 • Filed to: None

Apparently they don't salt their roads in Alaska and instead use gravel and sand. Because road salt is has practically no effect in sub zeros temps, plus the property damage and environmental effects. Interesting.

http://www.adventure-inspired.com/2012/01/wait-t…

http://anchoragecreeks.org/media/publicat…

DISCUSSION (15)

lepie > cuts_off_prius
12/01/2013 at 18:32

The same in much of canada, i've heard.

Sadly, not so here ... and cars rust fast here.

dogisbadob > cuts_off_prius
12/01/2013 at 18:37

I thought they didn't really get that much snow either.

They should just put heaters in the roads or something

Doug DeMuro > cuts_off_prius
12/01/2013 at 18:43

This was the case in Colorado too. But Colorado's main benefit was that the sun would come out and melt the ice. In Illinois, Michigan, etc. they don't really have that benefit, because it can be below freezing for days — so they salt. I presume using gravel and sand in Alaska is a tacit admission that they'll never get it to melt, so why bother. But traffic is much lighter in Alaska than Illinois...

Reborn Pyrrhic > cuts_off_prius
12/01/2013 at 18:54

There are two main reasons roads don't get salted in Alaska (and yes, we get plenty of snow there):

1 - It gets cold enough to freeze salt water in many parts of Alaska. That should be a good enough reason already, but in some parts of the state it doesn't get THAT cold, hence:

2 - Moose, elk and byson, much like cows, are attracted to salt. So if you salt a highway you run the risk of having a heavy, tall animal with spindly legs standing on the middle of a highway licking salt as you drive your truck or Subaru at 80 mph through a winter fog, and don't get to see the moose in time.

So, to keep the wildlife off the roads they don't put salt on the roads. We get gravel and sand instead. Yes, our cars don't corrode half as much as cars from the rust belt (you can always tell a car that came from down South in Alaska. They are old and have rust), but the gravel and sand are terrible on your paint, windshield, suspension and brakes.

You get the good with the bad. Alaska still rocks.

Dunnik > lepie
12/01/2013 at 18:55

Yea, most places in Canada will use salt, though some use sand. I asked a friend from Edmonton who is into cars (has an '02 Acura TL S 6-speed) how the rust situation was on his old Honda (heh). He said it was good, since they don't use salt up there, and Edmonton, as most Canadians probably know, is, like, the 2nd most coldest city in Canada.

lepie > Dunnik
12/01/2013 at 18:56

Here it's 100% salt and they go crazy with the stuff. You can hear it crackle beneath your feet as you walk on the sidewalks.

Dunnik > lepie
12/01/2013 at 19:02

Same here in Toronto.

"You might want to consider rust-proofing," the owner(s) of this 3rd gen Prelude must have been told, "Nah," they probably replied, "fuck it."

Kinja'd!!!

lepie > Dunnik
12/01/2013 at 19:04

I think that's from a scrape. Just water and air will do it then.

Still ... ouch.

Dunnik > lepie
12/01/2013 at 19:10

There is, of course, some unpaired body damage, but the rust around the wheel arches is what we - what everybody? - calls "typical Honda rust" (though in a very advanced state of decay).

lepie > Dunnik
12/01/2013 at 19:11

Pretty much all cars rust around the wheel arches here, although older japanese cars seem particularly prone to it. Old mazda 323s were bad. So were fiats, lancias, vee dubs, etc

desertdog5051 > Dunnik
12/01/2013 at 20:01

I have friends in Edmonton and they say they use salt on a lot of the roads.

tapzz > cuts_off_prius
12/01/2013 at 20:05

Same in northern Scandinavia- they just shovel the roads and make people use winter tyres with spikes. That and the frugal, machine conserving nature of many people up there, make it a prized source of vintage Saabs and Volvos :)

Dunnik > desertdog5051
12/01/2013 at 20:06

City of Edmonton website for winter Snow and Ice Control makes no mention of salting.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

The City sands roads and walkways as required.

There are 130 sanding trucks and 20 sidewalk plows that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from October to April.

The initial response to a snowfall is to apply abrasive street sand and de-icers, to provide traction.

desertdog5051 > Dunnik
12/02/2013 at 00:00

Guess I misinterpreted what they told me. Thanks.

NathSB > Doug DeMuro
12/03/2013 at 04:35

In my opinion: Depending on how good a job the sand/gravel truck has done, driving on gravelled/sanded snow and ice is by far preferrable to salt sleet. Sadly, we pretty much only use salt here in Norway.

Finding a back road where they've only cleared the snow, though? Perfection.