Medford, Ore., — “Salt is very aggressive and very quick and I hate the thought of having salt on our roads.”
Harold Pretorius is part owner of Ken Schulz auto repair shop in Medford.
While winter isn’t necessarily any busier for the shop than other seasons, workers see other issues after cars have driven on salted roadways.
“We see suspension parts that are rusted through so the car is uncontrollable, and unsafe to drive, we see break parts that are in a condition that are not safe.”
But Oregon Department of Transportation says the safety advantages make up for the disadvantages.
A pilot program in Southern Oregon has proven salt is extremely successful in moderation.
“We’ve been able to reduce the number of chain requirements and delays on Siskiyou Summit by a significant amount.”
For the last five years Southern Oregon has had the program to test how well salt works in places like the Siskiyou Summit, and Highway 95 near the Idaho and Nevada borders.
Now, ODOT confirms it will use salt across the state, on a case-by-case basis.
“It’s not like we haul it out at the first sign of a flurry. It’s only used when necessary.”
And while some are concerned about the environmental impacts, Leaming says there are ways around it, and is worth it.
“For those who have driven through Siskiyou Summit when they had to chain up versus now, I think most people would say, yeah I’m really glad that’s out there as a tool.”
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