State Crews Putting Brine on Causeway in Advance of Storm

In advance of the snow and rain mix predicted for Saturday, a New Jersey Deparment of Transportation operations crews has been at work Friday putting down a brine solution along the entire Route 52 causeway. 

The brine solution — which is a mixture of road salt and water — acts as a first defense to prevent icing, according state DOT spokesperson Timothy Greeley. Brine is used as an additional anti-icing resource, along with road salt and calcium chloride, that enables NJDOT to more efficiently clear roadways.

Route 52 is not normally included as a location that gets brined, Greeley said.

"The state normally concentrates this resource on I-295, I-76, I-676 and Route 55 based on their higher traffic volumes," he said. "But we are doing it as an extra precaution, as this is the first winter our crews are maintaining the new structures."

The white streaks on the road surface Friday afternoon are indications that the brine solution has been placed.