State lawmakers in Connecticut are scheduled to hear testimony today on a bill that addresses the issue of corrosive de-icers being used on state highways.


According to published reports, the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut wants the Department of Transportation commissioner to study the corrosive effects of the mixture of liquid calcium chloride and salt, which the state Department of Transportation began using during the 2006-07 winter season.

Several members of the MTAC, which represents 1,200 companies, plan to bring damaged parts of their trucks to Monday's public hearing.

Kevin Nursick, a spokesman for the DOT, told Connecticut news site www.myrecordjournal.com that Connecticut was one of the last states to switch over from sand/salt mix to a "salt priority" or "chemical priority" that most states use. According to the website, the DOT has been pleased with the results and complaints have been rare.

Nursick also told www.myrecordjournal.com that washing a vehicle should be part of a driver's winter routine. The president of the MTAC, however, responded that it's easier said than done to keep washing off the corrosive chemicals, because of federal environmental regulations concerning truck washing and how to handle the run-off.