Urea is a substance that can indeed be used instead of (or as an addition to) road salt. You can also find urea in fertilizer and urine. As a spreading agent it remains effective in very cold temperatures. The disadvantage is that ammonia smell that comes with it.
No longer used
Only problem: the national government, the province and the municipality inform us that there is no urea in the road salt. “Our road salt does not contain urea granules,” a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat said. “Not even in the past.” The province also says that little is added to the salt that is spread on provincial roads – a type of road of which there are only a few in the municipality of Amsterdam.
Because most roads in the city fall under the responsibility of the municipality. Was it the Amsterdam gritters?
Nope: “The municipality uses a mixture that consists of 70 percent dry salt and 30 percent liquid. The liquid consists of 16 percent calcium chloride and 14 percent water.” Urea granules, says a spokesperson, are not used.
Better for escalators
Who still works with urea granules when it is slippery: the GVB, which is responsible for spreading at the metro stations and at the tram stops BIM-huis, the Rietlandpark and the stops of the Amstelveen and Uithoornlijn. Regular salt or brine had a number of major disadvantages: it is corrosive. “That is harmful to all systems on and around the metro track,” a spokesperson wrote. Urea is less harmful in that respect.
The GVB knows about the air that can spread urea. “That is partly why we have investigated alternatives in 2023. Such as calcium chloride,” the spokesperson explains. But this stuff is also quite corrosive, or corrosive. “It causes damage to escalators and elevators. That is why it has been decided to continue with urea for the time being.”
Still salty again?
Should Amsterdam residents get used to that smell in the winter months? Not necessarily, the GVB spokesperson thinks. “We are now investigating whether a return to salt and brine for spreading at some stations is a better alternative to the current urea.” And, the GVB promises: they will keep a close eye on developments in the field of anti-slip conditions.
