A new facility to safely store the salt used to keep Calderdale moving during periods of bad weather, is now ready to use.
Construction work has now finished on the new salt barn at the Ainleys depot site in Elland. The new facility has the capacity to store 12,000 tonnes of salt, protecting it from the elements and making the process of gritting roads more efficient. Previously salt has been stored without a cover, meaning that each winter a proportion is lost due to rainfall or other weather-related issues.
The new salt barn will not only protect the salt while it’s being stored but will also reduce the amount of salt needed on precautionary grit runs by up to a third, as dry salt has a greater spread rate than wet salt.
Reducing the amount of salt required to effectively treat roads also has environmental benefits, as gritters are able to cover larger area with same load. This also means that fewer vehicle deliveries are needed to maintain salt stock levels at the depot.
Whilst the salt barn has been under construction, a temporary gritting site has been in place at North Bridge in Halifax. This will close in February, following a transition period to allow the new facility to become fully operational.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Strategy, Cllr Jane Scullion, said:
“I’m pleased that construction work is now complete on this major new storage facility at the Ainleys depot site.
“The salt barn will not only ensure that our supplies are protected, but also mean that we can reduce the amount of salt needed to effectively carry out our winter grit runs. By investing in this new storage it will to enable us to make savings in years to come.”
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, Cllr Jenny Lynn, said:
“The unpredictability of our winter weather means we have to be prepared with good stocks of salt to ensure we can keep the borough moving if, or more likely when, we suffer with periods of ice or snow.
“In recent years the number of grit treatments we’ve had to carry out has increased. This new storage facility will enable us to protect our stocks and also reduce the amount of grit needed for each treatment – supporting savings and protecting the environment.”