Posted on 12/03/2010 3:23:11 PM PST by Pharmboy
SILVER SPRING, Md. - Traffic crews trying to get a Maryland highway ready for winter put down the wrong chemicals Friday morning.
The error caused slick conditions on the road and at least 10 accidents.
Dave Buck with Maryland State Highway confirms the bad mix of chemicals were applied near Georgia Avenue on I-495.
Crews were supposed to apply only salt brine, but liquid magnesium was somehow mixed into one batch of the brine. Two trucks at different locations were loaded with the brine-magnesium mixture.
The contractor’s trucks with the bad mixture has been identified.
Maryland State Highway is investigating. Trucks with only salt brine went over the affected roads again to try and correct the problem.
The area affected with the bad mix included the overpasses and bridges on 495 between Route 650 and Route 270.
So, will Maryland be paying for the damages?
Well, if you lost control of your Dodge Hemi and hit the bridge abutment becasue of this, wouldn’t you sue the department that caused this? I am not a “suer” and have walked away from situations where I could have sued, I believe I would want compensation for this...
If this doesn’t qualify for a Freak State ping, I don’t know what does...
Obviously they didn’t put down “liquid magnesium,” because Mg melts at 1202 F. (And people trust reporters like this when they assure us that anthropogenic global warming is a certainty.) I’m guessing they put down MgCl2 brine, or perhaps Ca-Mg acetate, another deicing compound.
This would sound Marx Brothers were it not for the all-too-real casualties.
But... when is one SUPPOSED to put down liquid magnesium on a road surface?
I kinda, sorta assumed it was powdered magnesium in some kind of liquid suspension but the idea of molten magnesium certainly paints a picture...
Yes they did - that's why the cars were sliding around - all that melted rubber from the tires...
Good catch, hellbender. I was scratching my head over that one myself.
Welcome to Maryland: The Liberal State...Bwahahahahhahahahaha!
Nice vote...duh!
Virginia!
If you watch the video at the link, I believe it’s mag brine (used to break up big chunks of ice, so they say). The amazing thing recounted during the video is that there were two different trucks that went to two different sites and BOTH made the same error.
“Ohh...you wanted me to put oil in the truck and then salt the roads? That’s why the truck was running funny.”
http://www.meltsnow.com/applications-anti-icing.htm
“Think of it in this context: if you set up a tank, pump and “dribble bar” to dispense liquid for anti-icing, and you plan to treat at a rate of 25 gallons per lane mile, then what speed do you need to drive that truck to achieve the desired delivery at the rate your system is pumping? What happens if you travel at 30% slower speed due to traffic conditions? If you reduce your speed by 30% off your theoretical target speed, and you don’t reduce your application rate accordingly to match the slower speed, then you will over-treat! That could mean the difference between a safe driving surface and a virtual skating rink. What about approaches, stop signs, and lights? Does your anti-icing equipment control the flow to the spray bar when the truck stops and slows down? If not, then you are likely going to make a far more dangerous slippery condition at these critical points from over treatment, than if you had done nothing at all.”
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Sounds rather complicated to me. So if you put down too much, too fast it zambonis the snowpack, or something. Probably a case of untrained no-hablo-Pablos working for the highway contractor.
>> So, will Maryland be paying for the damages?
Who will get fired?
Magnesium is an element and a metal at that.
Must have been the case of a really stupid journalist (redundant) referring to a magnesium compound.
Ohhhh! Milk of Magnesia!
What a slimy mess.
“Obviously they didn’t put down “liquid magnesium,”. . .”
Actually it’s even better than that - continuing in their report: “. . . liquid magnesium was somehow mixed into one batch of the brine. . .”
Mixing molten magnesium at 1202 F with an aqueous solution would give one hell of an impressive explosion.
I think it’s pretty much a requirement for a position as a contemporary journalist that one be totally ignorant of science, math, and stats - and a fundamental lack of an ability to appreciate logic appears to help as well.
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