TxDOT prepares for possible icy roads

The Texas Department of Transportation has people and trucks on the road hoping to avoid a mess on the highways if winter weather arrives Thursday afternoon.

Crews prepared thousands of miles of roads by spraying them with a salty mixture that will help prevent icing. The trucks were out even before Wednesday afternoon’s rush hour.

The work concentrated on bridges and overpasses that would freeze first.

“The idea there is if we apply it to the bridge decks it dries and when precipitation comes in it mixes with that brine and lowers the freezing point of the water. It is essentially a form of antifreeze,” said Val Lopez, a spokesman for TxDOT. “During these situations, our crews go 24/7. They work on 12-hour shifts around the clock until the weather gets better.”

TxDOT will transition to sand trucks if need to give drivers traction on the roads.

FOX 4 Meteorologist Evan Andrews said a band of rain and snow showers will likely move from west to east through North Texas between 3 and 8 p.m. Temperatures and road surfaces will be above freezing at that time. But as the storms exit, the counties in the north and west may see some freezing, leading to icy roads.

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