Buzz
While on a road trip, it's easy to overlook things like the black tubes across roads or the colorful balls on power lines. However, the large domed storage units by the highway are hard to miss. Despite their prominence, many passersby aren't aware of what they are for. According to Canada Salt Group Ltd., these domes are used to store large quantities of road salt needed for snow removal during winter storms.
During winter, states and local governments require significant amounts of salt to keep roads safe and free from ice. Since road salt has a long shelf life when kept dry, it's more economical to store it in bulk near highways. Domes with 150-foot diameters and 12-foot concrete walls can hold up to 19,000 tons of salt, ensuring that workers have easy access to plenty of salt whenever they need to clear snow or ice.
The size of these domes is a result of the need for bulk storage, but their unique shape has its own purpose. Road salt is stored in dome-shaped structures instead of traditional rectangular buildings to maximize the interior space. The term 'clear span' in architecture refers to the unobstructed area between supports. The dome design offers a large, open interior without the need for support beams, allowing trucks to move freely inside. The materials used, such as concrete, wood beams, and shingles, are chosen because they are resistant to corrosion, unlike metal, which would be affected by the salt.
Salt never loses its ability to melt ice, no matter its age. This is because salt lowers the freezing point of water, typically 32°F, to anywhere between 20°F and 2°F. So, unless roads with built-in salt become a reality, storage domes will likely continue to be a common sight along our roadways.
