View toward the east and over the Rio De Flag bridge on Rt-66. Notice extensive pitting of pavement where salt from Rt-66 has splashed onto the curb abutment. Also notice the bluish white discoloration of the soil what has been saturated with salt. Not even grass can grow in this soil.

Another view showing extensive pitting of concrete. The relatively unaffected at the lower edge is going toward Santa Fe, where salt is not laid down. But salt is still brought in by traffic along this route.

Another view looking east along the north side of Rt-66 toward the Rio De Flag bridge. City Hall is directly to the left out of this frame. Notice the salt damage to the pavement, and also the pole to the left. Nothing grows in this bluish white soil that has been completely saturated with salt.

Extensive salt induced pitting of the Rio De Flag bridge. Also notice large crack in the pavement that abruptly ends where the underlying bridge structure prevents its spread. Also the dead soil to the left. The white stains are salt deposits.

View looking west along Rt-66 on the North side of the street in front of City Hall. Dead salt saturated soil in the foreground.

Drain on Rt-66, north side and south of City Hall. Notice salt saturated dead soil and large salt caused exfoliation of curb leading. into drain

Rio De Flag bridge, north east side, and due south of City Hall. This view is in the Rio De Flag drainage. Of note is the very large crack over an inch wide and six feet long to the ground. This type of concrete cracking is cause by the freeze thaw cycle that salting induces. Also, iron re-bar for concrete re-enforcing corrodes and the expansion of iron oxides also contributes to concrete failure such as seen in this example.

Several feet under the bridge and beneath the curb. (Notice the drain hole which connects to the grate shown previously) Very apparent is the white deposit on the concrete ceiling that supports the road above. This deposit is salt, and one can see the extensive damage and exfoliation of concrete. Also notice that huge crack also caused by salt induced freeze thaw cycling that has allowed this seepage.

Extensive rusting of support beams for the Rio De Flag Rt-66 bridge. Notice the white salt stains and the cracks separating this beam from the concrete above.

This shows extensive salt induced damage to the support beams of the Rio De Flag bridge. Of special note is the white salt and salt stalagmites hanging down from the concrete ceiling.

Salt stalagmites, and extensive rusting of support beam. Notice that the concrete above this beam is cracked

A very sobering view of major damage where salt induced expansion and contraction of support members caused a very large chunk of concrete to fall off. Notice the re-bar above that has rusted and contributed to this process.

Another view of this major damage cause by road salting. Notice the salt deposits coming from the crack in the ceiling, leading to this major exfoliation of the support member. This crack is apparently related to a major crack in the sidewalk above, which will be shown in another photo.

South side of Rio De Flag bridge, on pavement near curb. Major exfoliation and salt deposits evident in this photo.

Exfoliation of pavement on the south curb of the bridge. Notice the white salt deposit.

Another view of exfoliation of the south side of bridge. Also notice the large crack in the sidewalk that is also part of the bridge. This crack is apparently related to the one below where a large chunk of concrete has exfoliated from a support member.

Salt induced exfoliation of curb. Such damage is evident along the entire length of Rt-66 through Flagstaff. ADOT has for the last 6 years salted this Route in their de-icing plan that involves salt (NaCl), magnesium cloride, and calcium chloride.

Another view of curb exfoliation. Such damage is now evident the complete length of Rt-66

Comment:

With regards to the above photos, the Flagstaff City Council has decided to begin overall salting, euphemistically called "de-icing chemicals" over many of our city streets. Cinders have been used for decades, and though annoying they have very little ecological impact to our environment or our infrastructure. Salt on the other hand as major impacts to both. The photos shown reveal just one example, right in front of the City Hall Council chambers the danger to our infrastructure city wide. And there are other examples that I will in the future photo-document. Not clearly known is the damage to our surface water and eventually our ground water, not to even mention the health damage that road salts will cause to people that reside within city limits.

Do we as citizens of Flagstaff, Arizona want to go down this path?

And what will we give to the next generation?

Huge infrastructure repairs and ecological damage, along with heath problems related to salting?

Do an internet search of the environmental and health effects of road salts, and see what those states that have done so say about it.

Say NO SALTING OUR ROADS!