WILLIAMSTON, Mich. — City roads can be rough after a heavy snowfall, but it's even harder for drivers traveling on gravel roads in rural neighborhoods.
If you live near a dirt road and you're trying to figure out why they're so hard to maintain in the winter months, officials from the Ingham County Road Department say if you put too much salt on the surface it will melt the ice and turn the road into mud.
“They put down a sand-salt mixture, a little heavier on the sand, a little lighter on the salt in order to provide traction on top of the roads so that we can get the snow and ice off the surface of the roads without melting the frost in the roads”, said Ingham County Road Department Managing Director Bill Conklin.
Country back roads in Mid-Michigan are slick and icy, making the drive in some rural communities a slippery ride on gravel pavements.
“Most of our gravel roads here in Ingham County are in pretty good shape and putting recycled crushed asphalt on our roads which helps them behave much like a hard surface road when it comes to winter maintenance, but not all gravel roads have that”, Conklin explained.
A little rock salt and snow removal can go a long way on hard surfaces, but gravel roads remain slick even after a fresh plow.
“Gravel roads are a difficult item to maintain in the winter because you're trying to get the snow and ice off the surface, but not put so much salt on the road that the entire gravel thickness melts because underneath you have frost and then moisture has nowhere to drain down and out off the road”, Conklin continued.
Safety precautions should always be taken when driving on dirt roads in the winter.
Experts recommend for drivers to take it slow and to keep a good distance between cars.
If you live on a road that's been damaged by the winter weather you can report the problem to your local road department.
