SEQUIM — City crews are treating key areas such as overpasses, hills, intersections and roundabouts with a de-icing agent.
Sequim city crews began treating roadways with magnesium chloride in liquid form late last week.
“It’s ideal to get the magnesium chloride down when the roads are dry without any rain,” said Mike Brandt, Sequim streets manager.
It is effective for temperatures between 40 degrees and minus-15 degrees.
Magnesium chloride is an environmentally safe product, Brandt said in a statement.
It is more than 85 percent less corrosive than salt and has half the toxicity of baking soda, he said.
The city of Port Angeles and the state Department of Transportation also use magnesium chloride, he added.
“It has been used for decades nationwide and has shown no adverse effect to the streets, surrounding plants or the overall environment,” he said.
Magnesium chloride is also lighter on the city budget.
It will cost the city of Sequim about $500 to $1,500 per year compared with road salt at $5,000 to $8,000 per year and sand at $6,000 to $10,000 per year, plus the cost of extra street sweeping to pick up the sand after each storm, he said.
The city also will experiment with applying magnesium chloride to sidewalks at key locations this winter.
Residents can expect to see some damp streaks in a striping pattern on the roads where the de-icing agent is laid down, Brandt said.
For more information, phone Brandt at 360-683-4908 or email mbrandt@sequimwa.gov.