Brecksville Trying New Product to Keep Snow, Ice Off the Roads

If all goes as planned, drivers on Barr Road might notice something different this winter: less ice and snow.

Brecksville is trying out a new deicing product for a portion of that road. Representatives from Cargill met with on Tuesday to discuss the product, Winterpave.

The product is mixed in with asphalt as a street is being paved. The mixture prevents ice and snow from sticking above 17 F, said Debby Capela, Cargill’s business development manager of deicing technology. Below that, it works as an anti-icer. And since the product prevents water from freezing, it also helps to prevent potholes.

Brecksville will be one of the first U.S. cities to try Winterpave out. Council voted to try the compound on a portion of Barr Road. The section of road from the turnpike bridge to the county and city limits was already scheduled to be repaved this year. Council agreed to pay an extra $8,700 to incorporate Winterpave in the product. The rate is discounted because it’s still a test, and Cargill is picking up some of the costs.

Public Services Director Ron Weidig said he expects the repaving to be done by mid September. The potential safety features—keeping roads on the edge of town or particularly hilly spots clear—are a big selling point. The product would give the city more time to get to those trouble spots, Mayor Jerry N. Hruby said to council.

“If it’s successful, it’s going to be a great thing,” Hruby said.

And there’s the cost issue. The paving was already going to cost the city $41,000. While the product is costing the city an extra $8,700 up front, Weidig said that if it works, it could save Brecksville money in the future. The city could save money on the amount of salt it needs in the winter, and if there are fewer potholes, it could extend the life of the road.

During the winter, Cargill will ask the city to refrain from using salt on that portion of Barr Road unless it is necessary for safety purposes so that the company can see how the compound reacts.

Capela said the product is still patent pending, so they can’t name exactly what’s in the product, but she said it is a natural deicing compound. The non-chloride product is not corrosive and as not been found to be hazardous, she added.

Winterpave, which is made by Iterchimica and distributed worldwide by Coldlay, is new to the U.S., Capela said. It’s been used in Europe for the past seven years, but Cargill just got the rights to begin distributing it in the United States.