2022 : Transportation
DOT Shifts Engineering Resources Toward Environment
DOT is no longer building interstates and the issues it faces more often involve environmental protection. It has hired many more environmental engineers while it has allowed its traditional highway engineering staff to decline through attrition. These new staff tackle problems like substitutes for road salt, bigger culverts more suited for wildlife migration, etc.
Influenced Scenarios
Evidence
Mirror Lake Salt Levels Decline Again
A lot of effect to reduce road salt and manage runoff has resulted in declines in salt levels in Mirror Lake in Lake Placid.
Read the news story here.
Harrietstown Wins $477k for Salt Shed
The new salt shed is expected to stop salt pollution from leaking into nearby Lake Colby
Read about it in the North Country section of this Booklet
Willsboro Wins $410k for a Salt Shed
Willsboro will see a new salt shed at the highway garage
Read about it in the North Country section of this booklet
ASRA Wins $500k for Work in Keene and Jay
The funds will restore a section of the East Branch of the Ausable River that has been a cause of ice jams and flooding on Route 9N and surrounding property.
Read about it in the North Country section of this booklet
Essex Wins $102k Grant for a Salt Shed
Essex has won $102k for construction of a salt shed
You can read about it in the North County section of this booklet
Gov Signs Road Salt Bill
The bill establishes an Adirondack Road Salt Task Force to provide recommendations about how to proceed.
Read about the story here.
Road Salt Reduction Bill Passes in NY
LP Wins $225k to Replace Salt Storage Facility
Lake Placid will replace its aging salt storage shed.
REad more on pages 68-72 of the 2019 NYS REDC Grant Awards Booklet
Lots of Work on Culverts Wins Grants
Six towns won grants to engineer solutions to specific culverts. Three towns won grants for culvert repairs. Two towns (Moriah $249k and Jay $178k) won grants to replace culverts.
Read more on pages 68-72 of the 2019 NYS REDC Grant Awards Booklet
ASRA Wins $175k toStudy Mirror Lake Salt Problems
The research will focus on Mirror Lake in Lake Placid. It's been badlly impacted by road salt.
Read the news story here.
ADK Action To Host 3 Winter Road Maintenance Workshops
In April 2019, ADK Action will host three winter road maintenance workshops for Essex, Clinton and Franklin road crews.
Read the announcement here.
91% of Hamilton Cty Lakes Affected by Road Salt
The Adk Water Institute at Paul Smiths has published its 25 year report on Hamilton County Lakes. It found that 91% of the lakes in the lightly populated county are affected by road salt. Impacts of acid rain have declined.
Read the news story here.
Download the study report here.
DOT is Conducting Road Salt Reduction Tests on Rt 86
Three different areas of Rt 86 will be tested this winter 2018-19.
Read the news story here.
2 Towns Wins Grants for Salt Sheds
Keene and Newcomb will both see new salt sheds to protect drinking water supplies. The Keene grant is $700k, the Newcomb grant is $360k.
See page 76 of the 2017 REDC awards booklet here.
LG Wins $200k Regional Road Deicing Program Using Brine
The project will use brine instead of rock salt in several towns.
See page 95 of the 2017 REDC grant awards booklet here
Lake George Communities Using Brine
Brine is expected to be better for the lake water. It will most often be used before storms.
Read the news story here
Lake Placid Testing Liquid De-icer On Streets Around Mirror Lake
Mirror Lake Drive, which circles Mirror Lake in Lake Placid will have a test project this winter using a liquid de-icer. The product is said to be more effective and have less environmental impacts than road salt.
Read the news story here.
Salt Summit in Lake George Looks at Reducing Road Salt
The Lake George Salt Summit will bring together public and private-sector officials to review research, learn about new technologies, and review techniques for reducing the amount of salt on roads in the Lake George watershed. The event is mainly a result from the news that the concentrations of chloride, an indicator of amount of salt, has tripled in the last 30 years.
Read the news story here.
Culvert Replacement Project in North Elba and Wilmington
As part of a larger initiative in the Champlain Valley, the Nature Conservancy: Adirondack Chapter and many state, local and federal partnerships have been replacing culverts to reduce flooding risks, improve fish habitat, and increase stream connectivity. The focus is to create as close to natural conditions as possible to open up larger sections of streams for better ecosystem conditions and fish migrations and to reduce flood risks.
Read the news story here.
Warren County Improves Efficiency of Road Salt Practices
Warren County is granting $8,000 stipends to towns within the area to install temperature controls and speed sensors to more effectively and efficiently salt the roads without waste. The speed sensors will slow the rate of application as the plow truck slows.
Read the news story here.
New Beet Brine Replacing Some Road Salt
The NYS Thruway is testing a new beet brine mixture to reduce salt in winter.
Read the DOT news release here.
Read the DOT news release here.
New Road Salt Being Used in Lake George
The new salt is coated with a waste product from distilling alcoholic beverages. It works better and cuts way down on volume.
Read the news story here.
Read the news story here.
Porous Pavement Project Shows Promise
Lots of Storm Damaged Bridges to be Replaced
A NYS/Federal effort will replace numerous State Highway bridges damaged in recent storms.
Read the news story here.
Read the news story here.
For DOT Shifts Engineering Resources Toward Environment
For DOT Shifts Engineering Resources Toward Environment