Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

WORLAND — Wyoming Department of Transportation Spokesperson Cody Beers said they are asking residents and businesses located where the new sidewalks were poured this summer and fall to “please not use salt and other chloride-based ice melt the first year until the concrete gets a full cure through a winter.”

“We’d like to limit that in the future, as well,” Beers said. “Any of those ice melting compounds cause that rapid thaw and freezes again, causes the concrete to move. If we can limit the number of freeze-thaw cycles the concrete will last longer.”

Beers added, “If you’re putting stuff on the sidewalk that causes the sidewalk to get wet when it’s 5 to 10 degrees outside, it’s got some sort of chloride substance in it like salt does and it’s going to be corrosive to concrete. What we would ask is that people don’t do that this first winter.

Do a timely shovel job and let Mother Nature thaw out the ice.”

As far as alternatives, Beers said WYDOT prefers people did not use chemicals on the new concrete.

He said there are products to use to help people from slipping if there is ice including sand, as long as there’s no salt mixed with it, or clay-based kitty litter.

City of Worland Public Works Superintendent Brian Burky said protecting the investment of the new sidewalks, curbs and gutters will mean some inconvenience for business owners along the area of the project and for residents using the sidewalks.

The project that began in late August included replacement of sidewalk corners, sidewalk, curb and gutter, double gutter and electrical work between 10th and 23rd streets on Big Horn Avenue in Worland.

Prime contractor for the $1.13 million Americans with Disabilities Act project was EHC LLC of Deaver.

He said there are areas in town that don’t get a lot of sun, including those on the north side of a building. For those areas, he said “We have an ice breaker and we fracture the ice and then go along with plow or pull it off with a grader. That works well in a lot of locations, but it doesn’t work perfect in all locations. We’re not going to do that for this first year on the new gutters. So people need to be aware there is going to be ice along Big Horn Avenue.”

Burky said he was reviewing recommendations from the Concrete Association of Wyoming and it includes no salt for the first year to be sure the concrete sets up. “You’ll have a better, long lasting product if you do that,” Burky said.

He said the immediate downtown area, west of 10th on Big Horn was not impacted as the project only include sidewalks, curbs and gutters east of 10th up to 23rd.

While the entire sidewalk along the route was not replaced, Burky said “there is lot of the curbing and sidewalk that is new.”

“We are going to have to approach (clearing ice and snow) differently. It’s going to be an inconvenience to the public. We’re going to try and keep on top of it, but we will probably be leaving some ice in the gutter, but just this year,” Burky said. “I really do ask people to be patient this year where there is new concrete. It’s just an inconvenience.”

He said if people do throw down salt it won’t remain a smooth and “good looking” sidewalk or curb.

Burky asks businesses to be patient and try to keep up with the snow shoveling and cautions residents to be mindful there may be more ice than normal in that area of the city.

“That project was over a million dollars and WYDOT and the contractor did a great job. I’m going to do everything I can to preserve that investment and I hope the neighbors can too,” Burky said.