Flathead County plans to test liquid de-icer on some county roads during the winter of 2012-13, Public Works Director Dave Prunty told commissioners recently.

It can work in temperatures as low as 15 degrees above zero. The plan is to try it on some hills and curves next winter.

Flathead County currently uses a mixture of 90 percent sand and 10 percent salt on icy roads. The Montana Department of Transportation uses liquid de-icer in its road treatment mixture.

“We’re negligent if we don’t look at our options,” Prunty said. “Folks expect bare pavement.”

But, he warned commissioners, the saline de-icer solution is expensive.

And, if the county switches to the same mixture used by the state, the county would have to build storage sheds to protect the stockpiles from freezing. The sand/salt mix used now by the county doesn’t freeze when stockpiled.

The transportation department mixes a corrosive inhibitor into its de-icer, Prunty said, but “there’s still salt in it and that’s corrosive,” which results in complaints to state officials.

With the absence of major snowfall, county road employees have been tackling other various projects, Prunty said. “We’re waiting for winter to show up.”

Workers have been out cutting brush from the sides of roads, typical winter fill-in work.

Workers also build some cul-de-sacs to use as equipment turn-around spots so they don’t have to use private driveways to turn trucks and blades around.

County employees also finished a stream bank mitigation project along Del Rey Road in conjunction with the Flathead Conservation District and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Rock was hauled to the steam and placed along the banks.

County Bridge Foreman Greg Iverson “is very pleased with it,” Prunty said.

Bank stabilization work also was done this year along parts of Swift Creek and Spring Creek.

During the fall, bridge department employees installed culverts throughout the county, Prunty said.

“Our bridge system is in good shape,” he said. “We can focus on drainage now. Drainage is king in preserving the lifespan of roadways.”

All of the county’s culverts are being mapped by the county GIS office, he said. “It’s a huge undertaking but will be beneficial.”

The road and bridge department is preparing to revise its two-year work plan, which “has run its course,” Prunty said. The revision “will be minor, compared to the actual plan.”

All county roads receive a ranking on a scale of 1 to 10, based on their condition, with 1 being low.

The ranking helps department employees prioritize what work should occur in any given year on all county roads.

Prunty reported that the county was reimbursed $6,300 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for materials used to help prevent flooding on county property during the spring. That amount covered 75 percent of the materials cost, Prunty said. 

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.