Love Affair With Salt

One thing you'll notice here in the winter is the excessive use of salt on roads. So much is used that the roads appear as white as snow in some places. It isn't uncommon to see a cloud of dried salt rising up behind vehicles. Vehicles are crusted with salt for months.

The Dept. of Highways will dump loads of salt on the highways here even when its unnecessary. (They also "plow" the roads when there is no need to, which is another story). Cars rot out here due to corrosion within 10 years unless you have the vehicle sprayed with an anti-corrosion treatment (i.e. Krown).

All this salt damages the environment, and the water table has been ruined in many places along the roads. On Hwy 1 there are numerous places where salt is not used due to this, likely people have complained about salty well water. In these areas, road signs warn you that sand is used. I've never seen any problems with the roads in these places in the winter. So why not do more sanding, less salting, and protect the environment?

Just how much money does Nova Scotia spend on road salt? Is there a program in place to reduce road salting, and educate highway workers? How about alternatives?