Preparations Underway for Possible Winter Weather in North Texas

Preparations are underway for whatever Texas weather throws our way.

Road crews with the Texas Department of Transportation spent Monday pre-treating roads in anticipation of the first chance of winter weather this season.

Val Lopez, spokesperson for TxDOT's Fort Worth district, said the agency was focused on pre-treating only elevated surfaces, like bridges and overpasses, that are prone to slick spots.

The agency uses brine, a salt water mixture, that works like anti-freeze.

“When there’s precipitation involved, sleet or snow or just rain, the salt will dilute the water, lower the freezing point and prevent ice from bonding to the roadway,” Lopez said. “That’s the ultimate goal.”

Crews across Tarrant, Dallas, Collin and Denton counties rolled out after the morning rush hour to pre-treat elevated surfaces.

Lopez said TxDOT is not concerned about snow flurries, but rather the chance for ice.

“Ice is not the same as snow,” Lopez said. “Ice is heavier. It’s much more dense and much harder to remove from the highway, so that’s why we’re applying brine to prevent that from happening.”

TxDOT said its crews were on standby and would be monitoring conditions throughout Monday night and Tuesday morning.

The North Texas Tollway Authority said they had no plans to treat toll roads, but would continue to monitor conditions.