On the Road in New Hampshire
Another Approach to Salt Storage

The City of Dover needed a new salt storage facility. With plans to relocate the highway facility within a few years, it didn’t make sense to spend a lot of money to construct a permanent building. Instead, they purchased a prefabricated and custom ordered-relocatable structure. The building could be resold if the city desires.

Prefabricated shelters have been used throughout the world in harsh climates for over twenty-five years. They can have a long life with fairly low maintenance costs.

The main components are an engineered steel frame and PVC coated polyester fabric cover. The cover is tensioned over the frame and sealed to the foundation to provide a tight fitting shell. All welded joints are hot dipped galvanized after fabrication.

The five-person highway crew constructed the building in a week. The building is manufactured in Sanford Maine. The frame is built of galvanized pipe and easily assembled. The building was erected on a level surface covered with a geotextile fabric, a foot of bank run gravel, 4 inches of crushed grave, and a paved 50’ x 120’ area to a depth of 3 inches.

A crew then built a six-foot high wall on three sides with 120 2’x 2’ x 6’ concrete blocks. They backfilled the end wall to a depth of 5’ so the wall would not be pushed out during salt loading operations.

They assembled the frame and trusses using a crane and scissors lift. They anchored the bottom rails to the concrete blocks with hilti blots. Then the membrane cover was installed using a bucket truck and laced into place.

The building is large enough for salt trailers to dump inside the building. The costs were $21,160, which included the building and all other construction costs, except labor.

For more information on the salt shed, contact David Quint at Dover Community Services, 743-6070.

Return to UNH T2 Center, 33 College Road, Durham NH 03824 603-862-2826 Fax 603-862-2364