Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Imported road salt proves to be headache for city

With many towns and cities facing road salt shortages, preparation for winter has led to increased imports of road salt. But Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is finding that the larger salt crystals they received from Brazil might have an unexpected consequence: a lot of broken windshields.

Car damage could result from flying salt crystals, which can be up to the size of a golf ball, reports Josh Hinkle of KCRG-TV. While the city is working to sift out larger pieces and then crush them into smaller sized crystals, officials are still warning drivers to stay at least 50 feet back from salt trucks on the road. "It could probably break your windshield or chip the pain on your vehicles also," said Shane Shoemaker, of Auto Glass Center. "That's definitely pretty big." (Read more)

Where is your state, county or municipality getting its salt?

UPDATE: Amanda DeBard of Stateline.org reports on the salt shortage and high prices.

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