LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- PennDOT is testing out a new method for melting ice on roads in Susquehanna and Lackawanna Counties.
PennDOT tried out something called "Green Blast" Marshwood Road in Olyphant. It is a liquid added to the salt water mixture PennDOT already sprays on roads.
It is supposed to make brine more effective in sub-zero temps, and PennDOT says it's been working.
"Right now, when you start getting below about eight degrees below zero, the brine starts to lose its effectiveness. This, we're finding, is working at about twenty degrees below, just as effective as it is at some of the higher temperatures," James May, a PennDOT spokesperson, said.
Not only does Green Blast work better in colder temperatures, PennDOT says it's also better for the environment since it reduces the amount of salt used on roads. Salt has been feared to affect waterways near roads.