ROUGH ROADS: Ice Calls For New Treatment

The deep freeze has made it tough for crews to treat roads, leaving some in bad shape for drivers.

“They`ve been absolutely bad this year, first it`ll melt then it will ice over then it will snow again so ya it`s been a vicious cycle of that,” says motorist Pamella Loyola.

When temperatures dip below 15 degrees, de-icing chemicals start to freeze, making for a slick commute.

With snow and ice already on the road along with wet pavement and blowing snow it makes things even worse.

De-icing chemicals and salt work a lot slower in colder temperatures, which is forcing metro road crews to take a different route.

Iowa Department of Transportation, Eric Lack, says “If our chemicals aren`t working the best, we try to stay out there and apply a friction material then scrape with our ice blades.”

Crews are using a combination of de-icing chemicals and sand to treat the roads.

They say their next hope is for a warm up to help melt the ice.