The Ministère des Transports, de la Mobilité durable et de l’Électrification des transports du Québec Develops New Charter to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Road Salt

The Quebec Ministry of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transportation Electrification (Ministère des Transports, de la Mobilité durable et de l’Électrification des transports, hereinafter MTMDET) is responsible for the winter maintenance of an extensive road network. In Quebec, local roads (107,000 km) are under municipal jurisdiction, while the MTMDET is responsible for all provincial roads and highways (31,000 km). The larger part (66%) of the provincial road network is maintained by private sector companies. The rest is maintained by the MTMDET (20%) and municipalities (14%). Each year, the MTMDET uses over 800,000 tonnes of de-icing agent on its road network in the winter months, which has a considerable negative impact to varying degrees on nearby flora and fauna, water quality, soil quality and infrastructure. Water quality tests conducted in several lakes close to urban areas across the province of Quebec has shown that, in certain locations, chloride concentrations are steadily increasing. And in a few locations, these concentrations have surpassed the chronic toxicity threshold for aquatic life. Considering that sodium chloride’s impact on the environment and on roadway infrastructures is well documented, the responsible use and management of this product is of primordial importance.

• Record URL:
  https://www.tac-atc.ca/sites/default/files/conf_papers/mtq-complete.pdf
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)

  401-1111 Prince of Wales Drive
  Ottawa, Ontario  Canada 
• Authors:
  • Noël, S
• Conference:
  • TAC 2018: Innovation and Technology: Evolving Transportation - 2018 Conference and Exhibition of the Transportation Association of Canada
• Publication Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Pagination: 1 PDF file, 1.7 MB, 13p.
• Monograph Title: TAC 2018: Innovation and Technology: Evolving Transportation - 2018 Conference and Exhibition of the Transportation Association of Canada

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Conferences; Deicing; Environmental protection; Policy; Sodium chloride; Winter maintenance
• Uncontrolled Terms: Use
• Geographic Terms: Canada
• ITRD Terms: 8018: Canada; 8525: Conference; 2598: Deicing; 2444: Environment protection; 2448: Nature protection; 173: Policy; 7316: Sodium chloride; 9084: Use; 2593: Winter maintenance
• Subject Areas: Policy; I15: Environment; I62: Winter Maintenance;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01683320
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)
• Files: ITRD, TAC
• Created Date: Oct 16 2018 2:06PM