KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Transportation is preparing for a potential weather event as Friday gets closer. TDOT said crews are always ready to go and ready to pivot in case the weather changes.
They are prepared for weather events year-round.
“It can be the middle of July and 90 degrees outside, and we are still getting salt shipped to our garages,” said Mark Nagi, a spokesperson for TDOT.
He said ahead of ice or snow, crews will pretreat the roads and then treat them as needed while snow falls. To treat the roads, TDOT uses a salt mixture to prevent freezing. However, preparations for weather events vary based on the type.
If there is rain in the forecast ahead of a winter weather event, that changes preparations.
“Typically we don’t do a lot of pretreating because those materials would wash off of the roadway," said Nagi.
He also said in icy conditions and during winter weather events – nobody should be on the roads unless they absolutely must drive somewhere. Anyone who needs to be on the road should also drive carefully because road treatments can only do so much.
“Ice is the real danger zone for us," said Nagi. “As the temps drop, especially under 20 degrees, it limits the effectiveness of our supplies.”