The Secret Ingredient Marion is Using on Its Roads This Winter

If you're a resident of Marion like me, you've probably noticed that the day before the ice storm of last week, and our light snow this morning, the city has spread a new solution on the roadways. It has almost a greenish hue to it. It turns out that the city has a new secret ingredient to fight snow and ice this winter and it sounds delicious!

First of all, the ingredient isn't 'Top Secret'. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the city of Marion fully admits that they're using a new mixture this winter for roads and sidewalks and that the new ingredient is molasses. Yes, the same molasses used in baking and cooking is now mixed in with some of Marion's salt mix being spread around town according to the Gazette.

Maybe it's just me, but molasses in my ice melt just seems more festive! The Gazette reports that the new blend is called 'Magic-O' from a company called Skyline Salt Solutions. The mixture has molasses and some calcium chloride that make the salt stick to the roadways and activate at colder temperatures. Plus, city officials say that the new solution will be more environmentally friendly. The Marion Public Services and utilities director told the Gazette that with the molasses being used, " it will help the salt stick to the pavement, so there’s less salt being used."

Marion's winter molasses mix apparently isn't too big of a secret. The Gazette reports that the city of Cedar Rapids is testing the same mixture on some of its streets too.

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