Originally posted by hks_kansei I assume the salted road thing is to melt snow/ice?
Yes.
In some places calcium chloride is sprayed onto the pavement before the freezing weather.
Originally posted by hks_kansei (also unrelated, but does everybody have to have a set of studded tyres/chains for winter? or is snow not that bad to drive on?)
Studded tires aren’t required anywhere, and in some jurisdictions are restricted to certain months. They cause considerable damage to the road surface.
In the Cascade and Rocky Mountain areas traction tires are required during winter months, or chains are required to be carried, and used when posted.
Many of the states in the mountainous areas also require heavy trucks to carry chains in the winter. Fines for failure to carry chains are considerable. When “chains required” signs are posted and truck drivers ignore them, fines are even higher.
Some states, Wyoming for instance, have gates on highway ramps, and the roads are closed when conditions are poor. Again, fines are significant for ignoring posted closures. Wyoming also has areas with variable speed limits for times when the weather requires reduced speed.
I personally never bother with studded tires. On my Subaru and Dodge RamI use a good all season tire.
Chains are a pain, and cause too much damage to the road surface. If conditions are that bad I get off the road.