Plowing and some sand works on private roads.
....in our region, everyone has drilled wells (and, shallow water wells), so our "municipality" uses no melting chemicals on the gravelled roads (we have about 60~70% gravel roads in our region). However, on any paved roads, lots of cheap corrosive salt is put down. The gravel roads are "chained" during ice events, and abrasive gravel and sand is applied. We always wait for the roads to "dry out" before we venture to the village with the SUV to get groceries, etc.
Colorado has transitioned from sand to the chemical route. The problem with the sand is that it ends up causing air pollution. Much of Denver's "brown cloud" is caused by sand on the roads. I don't think there is any good solution.
Yes. This happens throughout the Northeast. Tremendous air pollution during winter when the myriad salt-melting road chemicals and gravel dry out on the roads, going aerosol. Have a look at Montreal. They are an nearly constant "air quality" warnings, from end of December to roughly 1st week of April (from aerosolized toxic road chemicals).
Thank goodness we don't live near any town large enough to create the ingredients to trigger this toxic air quality warning!
....someone else mentioned bridges, and infrastructure: we have collapsing concrete overpasses in Quebec from a combination of corrosive road salt (rotting the concrete, and sub-standard rebar), and shortcuts taken in their construction. Underground parking garages in the part of the world are also severely degraded by melting salt/chemical/undercarriage glaciers built up under vehicles when driving. Entire underground parking garages have to undergo massive re-construction regularly (roughly every 15 years). Imagine the cost of that?
