MoDOT’s solar powered heating system will clear bridges of snow and rain

Crossing a bridge and getting to the other side sure is difficult during snow and rain. Keeping this in mind, a new heating system powered by solar energy will be used by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and will be installed by Pave Guard Technologies, a Kansas City firm. Scheduled to be first installed on two bridges along the Missouri Highway 10 at a cost of $183,000, the system uses the concept of a radiant floor heating with the use of solar energy to save costs. This system will also help generate energy during dry seasons that will be used to power up streetlights.

The system eliminates the use of corrosive clearing materials to clean the pavements, hence increasing the bridges life span. The system is activated automatically at 38 degrees Fahrenheit and a warm mixture is circulated in the tubing. The rehabilitation work will be carried out on these bridges this spring to keep these bridges free of ice this following winter season.
[Sun Trib]