TXDOT fights winter storm

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - The Texas Department of Transportation spent Friday Jan. 27 spraying roadways with brine in preparation for the Jan. 30 winter storm.

The brine leaves salt on the road and helps prevent the build up of ice, but it doesn’t work perfectly, heavy rain can wash the salt away. Should the brine not work, TxDOT will have to spray the roads again to melt the ice.

“Brine gets used as a pre-treatment prior, and dries on the roadways, and gets activated once snow or ice starts falling. But also you use it as a deicer on top of snow and ice to melt it and move it off the roadway,” said Adèle Lewis, TxDOT Public Information Officer.

When conditions are icy, TxDOT drivers will work 12-hour shifts around the clock to keep roads clear.

“Today we’ve already started 12 hour shifts, and our crews are out treating the roadways with brine and rock salt in order to melt the snow and ice and let it continue to be pushed off by the plows onto the side of the roadway,” said Lewis.

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