Road crews around the country are preparing for winter weather by running preparedness drills and stocking up on road treatment products. The Missouri Department of Transportation added a new product to their lineup for dealing with ice and snow on the roadways, one that includes a corn-based compound. “We added another road treatment option to our winter operations,” says MODOT St. Louis Maintenance Engineer, Mark Croarkin. “The corn-based portion of the product is a carrier for Magnesium Chloride. There are similar products that result in an approximately 2% Magnesium Chloride treated salt that use other base materials. These products typically cost a little more to mix, but they can be more effective.” Croarkin says the corn-based product MODOT started using goes by IceBan M20 or IceBan 300. “If I was trying to quantify I would estimate the IceBan treated material is about 25% more effective overall,” says Croarkin. “The benefits we have seen depend on the temperature; the colder the storm the better results.” The corn-based compound is designed to keep roads ice-free longer. “For us, this is another tool in our toolbox to treat roadways,” Croarkin said.