Effect of De-Icing Chemicals on Crack Sealant Performance in Colorado, USA

Crack sealants prevent moisture and debris intrusion into pavements. The length of time that crack sealants are effective is important to highway agencies. Many highway agencies utilize a magnesium chloride solution to prevent snow and ice accumulation on roadway surfaces. It has been reported that this de-icing solution leaves a residue inside unfilled cracks in asphalt pavements, potentially affecting the performance of crack sealants. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of magnesium chloride application on the performance of two types of crack sealants at two elevations in Colorado, United States. The experiment was designed to evaluate the association between crack fill remaining over a three year period and two different crack sealants, with and without exposure to magnesium chloride. Using factorial ANOVA, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the two crack fill products was observed at both elevations; however, the effect of magnesium chloride was only observed for the crack sealants at the higher elevation.