Clearing snow from pavement usually means either removing it by force or dissolving it with chemicals. Plows scrape the road surface, while salt changes how water freezes and then drains into soil and water systems. Both methods require labor, equipment and repeated passes through a storm. A third method uses the road itself as the heating element. Because asphalt is not a good conductor of electricity, engineers must add conductive materials and electrodes to the asphalt layers to heat it with current. The current warms the asphalt enough to melt snow, and the technology has been tested at Rowan University’s accelerated pavement testing facility in southern New Jersey.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
