CuriosiD: Revisiting the salt mines underneath Detroit
As WDET gears up for another season of CuriosiD, we’re looking back at some of our top stories. Here’s a look back at the salt mines that run underneath Detroit, Melvindale and Allen Park.
WDET is working on a new season of CuriosiD – where listeners like you ask questions about what you’re curious about in the region. Leading up to the season premiere, we’re digging into the CuriosiD archive to bring you some old favorites.
Much of the salt Metro Detroit road commissions use in the winter comes from deep underneath the roads themselves. A listener wanted to know more about the salt mines under the city of Detroit. WDET’s Pat Batcheller dug into that in 2017.
Listen: Are there salt mines under Detroit?
That story is from our CuriosiD archive. It originally aired in May of 2017. A couple of quick updates: A California holding company bought the salt mine’s parent company for a reported $2 billion in 2020. The Detroit salt mine continues to provide much of the salt used on our roads. Wayne County has bought more than a million dollars’ worth of salt from the mine this winter. Oakland County has spread more than 63,000 tons of Detroit salt on the roads.
Is there something that you’re curious about in the region? We’d love to hear from you. Find out how to ask your question here.
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