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Williamstown delays salt-shed grant work; tests magnesium chloride to cut salt use
Summary
The town learned the VTrans salt-shed grant window opens in November (awards the following spring), pushing construction to 2027; staff are evaluating a magnesium chloride solution that vendors say can reduce salt use by about 30% but requires calibration and further testing.
Town Manager Ryan Lockwood told the Selectboard the VTrans grant program for a salt-shed expansion does not open until November and awards are made the following spring, which likely delays construction until 2027. He said the VTrans requirement includes an environmental clause that salt must not be stored on exposed ground to prevent groundwater contamination.
Lockwood said he and Road Foreman Dave met with Innovative, a vendor serving New England, which currently supplies a magnesium chloride solution to neighboring towns. He said the solution can reduce rock-salt use by at least 30% if equipment and solution ratios are calibrated properly, but the town needs to study road impacts and whether the salt-shed size still needs increasing. Lockwood said he would compile the town’s historical salt-use amounts to develop a proposal.
