What We Do

Best Practice Guidance - during the course of investigations for the National Winter Service Research Group (NWSRG, formerly the National Salt Spreading Research Group - NSSRG), TRL produced best practice guidance on the treatment of roads, footways and cycleways.

Routine and Winter Service Code - we helped to develop and write the Routine and Winter Service Code.

Network Management Manual for Trunk Roads and Motorways - we helped to develop and write the Network Management Manual.

Precautionary Salting - TRL has developed a method for measuring the salt distribution profile achieved by salt spreaders to help network operators and authorities decide what spreaders and de-icers are best suited to their requirements. Many checks of the performance of spreaders concentrate on the total amount of salt discharged, but knowledge of the salt distribution profile is essential if the intention is to find ways to minimise salt usage. We've carried out numerous track trails and road trails which have shown that, as currently configured and operated by highway authorities, salt-spreading equipment may deliver ineffectively. Variations in the performance of different spreaders may be larger than the variation in performance that an authority would achieve by changing from dry untreated to treated salt, or from dry salting to pre-wetted salting etc.

Environment - there's increasing public interest in the impacts of winter service on the environment, in particular on water, soil, vegetation, highway structures and vehicles. TRL can advise on the use of pre-wetted salt or dry salt treated with additives as alternatives to dry untreated salt, or on the use of alternatives to sodium chloride-based de-icers to alleviate the impacts.

Good Value - under most conditions, the loss of salt immediately after precautionary treatments is less with pre-wetted salt and dry treated salt than it is with dry untreated salt. This gives highway authorities the potential to spread less sodium chloride while ensuring sufficient remains after trafficking to prevent ice formation. The ability to reduce spread rates is dependent on many factors which have been the subject of detailed research by TRL, including the salt distribution immediately after spreading and residual salt levels after trafficking.

Effects of Traffic - the method of measuring the amount of salt on surfacing that is referred to above can also be used to determine residual salt levels after trafficking. Trials have been carried out, and further trials are planned, to determine residual salt levels up to 48 hours after spreading dry untreated salt, pre-wetted salt and dry treated salt on positively and negatively textured surfacing.

Worldwide Knowledge - TRL has detailed knowledge of worldwide winter maintenance research and a thorough understanding of the factors that determine whether particular precautionary treatments will prevent ice formation or curative treatments will help remove ice and snow. We're able to assist highway authorities in a review of their winter maintenance practices.

National Winter Service Research Group - we manage the research programme for the NWSRG. This is a group comprising national and local authorities, along with contractors and suppliers, who have developed a plan of research in winter service over the past eight years. TRL has been instrumental in advising on the research required, planning the research programme and carrying out the majority of the research work.

Further information on research carried out for the NWSRG can be found on the NWSRG website - www.trl.co.uk/nssrg

If you're interested in learning more about the topics covered in this section, or you can't find what you're looking for and would like to talk to someone in detail about a specific topic, please complete the enquiry form at the foot of this page - one of our experts will contact you as soon as possible.