Title of article:

Road Crews Battle Weather

Excerpt:

As the threat of dangerous road conditions loomed, local authorities worked to reduce hazards Monday.

Trying to stay ahead of conditions, the Arkansas State Highway Department took pre-emptive action, spreading a substance that melts away ice over sections of highways and interstates prone to slippery conditions, according to Joe Shipman, district engineer for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department’s Fort Smith office.

“We began pre-treating operations yesterday (Sunday), putting liquid calcium fluoride on bridges and overpasses that tend to freeze first,” Shipman said on Monday.

The calcium fluoride, Shipman said, will help toward melting any ice that accumulates. With the ice diluted, highway workers will return in their spreader trucks and further melt the ice with a sand/salt/calcium fluoride mix, Shipman said...