The MTQ does not close the door: securing our roads thanks to the beet juice?

QMI agency

Thursday, 8 February 2018 22:34

UPDATE
Thursday, 8 February 2018 22:34

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The minister of Transport does not close the door to the use of beet juice to prevent ice formation on the roads of the province in the winter.

“We, at the ministry, there is work to be done to ensure that the products that we use are the safest possible,” said André Fortin in an interview with TVA News.

“It doesn’t mean that what one takes on a sidewalk is necessarily what we must take on a highway, but it should not be close to people who have new ideas for, recycle products or use products that are better for the environment than what you can use in that moment.”

This solution is, however, already been used for more than 30 years in the United States and for more than 15 years in Ontario, according to Patrick Boisjoly, head of development at Eco-Forma, which markets this product. It is believed that the use of beet juice could have avoided the numerous accidents on the interstates 10, 20 and 30, on Wednesday afternoon, during the snow storm.

“After the damage that occurred [Wednesday], or even a person has lost the life, I said to myself: “I think it is time that we act””, said Mr. Boisjoly.

Its product, which is already in use on the bridge of the highway 25, should be applied before the fall of the precipitation to prevent the formation of ice.

“It acts like a film that prevents the adhesion of ice, precipitation ice,” he explained.