IMPACT OF SALTS FROM WINTER ROAD MAINTENANCE ON SELECTED PROPERTIES OF ROADSIDE SOILS

The impact of winter addition of salts to roadside soils was studied for the national road No. 28 in Poland, in Małopolska Region. The measured sections of the road No. 28 are two access ways to the city of Grybów. According to instructions of GDDiKA (General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways) both sampled routes: Grybów-Gorlice (sampling section G-G) and the section Nowy Sącz-Grybów (N-G) were included in II standard of winter road maintenance. The general increase in soil salinity, chloride concentration and pH values from the roadside soils was evidenced by the difference of results of two sampling campaigns, before and after winter season of 2015/16. Salinity indicators showed significant increase, even though weather winter season 2015/16 was rated as mild and road de-icing salts were applied at less-than-average rate. Soil hydraulic properties were calculated estimated from soil texture using pedo-transfer functions for estimating the dynamics of salts into soils, suggesting easy leaching of salts from topsoil. ...