At a Glance
- NTTA and TxDOT crews began pretreating roads Wednesday with brine to prevent ice bonding
- Approximately 90 consecutive hours of below-freezing temperatures are forecast
- 350 employees will work 12-hour shifts using 250 pieces of equipment in Fort Worth District
- Why it matters: Drivers face hazardous conditions through the weekend and must check DriveTexas.org before travel
North Texas transportation crews have launched full-scale winter weather operations ahead of a prolonged freeze expected to bring snow, ice, and subfreezing temperatures for roughly four days starting later this week.
Pretreatment Underway
Crews for both the North Texas Tollway Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation began applying saltwater brine to bridges, overpasses, and major corridors on Wednesday. The mixture dries and leaves a salt residue that keeps moisture from bonding into ice.
“We probably have lived here long enough for folks to know that we put a liquid salt mixture down on the roadway, it dries, leaves a salt residue behind, and then when the moisture from the storm comes in, it interacts with it,” said Michael Rey, Media Relations Manager for NTTA. “It keeps it in a liquid form until we can send more troops, if you will, out there to put down a solid mix. So it’s a preventative.”
NTTA storage sites loaded trucks and applied brine across the entire tollway network. More than 2,000 cameras provide visual monitoring, while roadway sensors track real-time conditions.
TxDOT Mobilizes 250-Piece Fleet
TxDOT crews across multiple districts are prioritizing bridges and overpasses, which freeze before main lanes. The Fort Worth District has approximately:
- 250 pieces of equipment available
- 350 employees scheduled for 12-hour shifts around the clock
- Plows and spreaders staged across North Texas
“Our goal is always to keep one lane passable and then constantly improve as the system goes on,” Rey said. “If you’re going to get out, you simply cannot expect a good roadway. I mean, we’re just fighting Mother Nature, right? We’re doing everything we can. We’ll go for as many hours as it takes. We’ll use as much material as it takes. But we can’t make it like a roadway in August. It’s just not possible.”
Forecast Duration
Early forecasts indicate the region could experience approximately 90 consecutive hours of below-freezing weather. While significant, this is far less than the 2021 winter storm, when North Texas endured 215 hours – nearly nine straight days – of subfreezing temperatures.
Safety Reminders
TxDOT urges drivers to:
- Stay at least 200 feet behind treatment trucks
- Reduce speed on potentially icy surfaces
- Avoid unnecessary travel when conditions become hazardous
“If you do have to get out and you think it’s a good idea, then just adjust accordingly. You’ll have to go slow,” Rey added. “It only makes sense. I mean, it’s a 50-50 deal. We’ll do what we can. We need drivers to do what they can.”
Key Takeaways
- Pretreatment continues through the weekend
- Check DriveTexas.org for real-time road conditions and closures
- The freeze duration will be shorter than the 2021 storm but still poses serious travel risks
