Winter Road Maintenance as a Threat to Our Built Heritage
Winter Road Maintenance as a Threat to Our Built Heritage
Winter Road Maintenance (WRM) is necessary to maintain the daily rhythm of society during the winter season; however, the chemicals used create a harsh environment for historic monuments through the salinization of urban soils. The damage caused to monuments occurs both inside and out. The negative effects of sodium chloride are known yet, it is widely used due to its cost effectiveness, efficiency, and availability. Soluble salt contributes to stone decay through the confined crystallization of salts within the pore structure of the material causing the stone to break down. Salt can infiltrate structures through capillary rise in the subsurface soils, rising damp, and splash from vehicles. Dry winter weather does not preclude the risk of damage. Residual salts become crystallized and are dispersed by vehicles and humans, allowing them to become airborne. Masonry is not the only historic building material vulnerable to salt degradation. Historic infrastructure, such as lamp posts, boundary markings, and bridges, is also susceptible to salt degradation. This endangers our built heritage and compromises the historic record of past construction techniques. This study examines how salts and the soil/structure interactions affect historic monuments and explores methods that can be used to mitigate the resulting damage, thus preserving our built heritage for future generations.
Taryn DiLorenzo
4th International Symposium on the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites
Heritage Sites and Urban Development
https://doi.org/10.53243/tc301-2026-16