traveylin wrote:
Thank you Soren, on my to do list was a search through the Alyeska Pipeline companies MSDS's to id the particular additive, for the assistance of the folks in Whitehorse.
pops
Having traveled the road in the past, experiencing the joy of trying to get the stuff off of my truck, and knowing of many hard core motorcycle riders who complain of the corrosive damage the Dalton slurry does, I responded to an incorrect statement here. Really no big deal, given that the purpose of the forum is to provide valuable experience and information. Would you want to find that your RV is full of fresh corrosion damage after a trip to the circle or Coldfoot, since you mistakenly believed that there is no salt being used on the road? Having spent a lifetime in the construction industry, handling bagged calcium flake repeatedly, and watching an Alyeska operator dumping it in his water truck, I have a bit of first hand knowledge of the subject. Spending a moment Googling "Calcium dust control Dalton highway" to confirm my experience for a reliable source is world apart from filing a Freedom of information act request to access anybody's MSDS information, and "searching through" said data.
As for the "Whitehorse" comment, Murray is a very talented Journalist and World traveler, who writes a very high quality blog. and has no need for my assistance.
With regard to dust control on heavily travelled dirt and gravel roads, Calcium is one of a handful of Hygroscopic chemicals that are reasonably economical and very effective. It has the ability to draw water to the surface and keep a road damp in dry summer conditions. For drivers it presents two unusual conditions that some may not be expecting in hot summer driving. first, it is extremely corrosive and needs to be power washed off the vehicle ASAP. Second, if it is used on smooth surfaces, such as stretches of tightly packed dirt, it can be extraordinarily slippery, very similar to black ice. It's nothing to be slogging through wet, rutted slop, and encounter a stretch of treated hard pack that will send you sideways, like you hit an oil slick. this is something I have encountered repeatedly on oil company roads in my area.
Finally "pops" thank you for your valuable contribution.
