KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Transportation said crews are "ready to go" for when winter weather hits East Tennessee. TDOT said hundreds of crews were on standby Tuesday to salt the roads, ahead of potential icy conditions.
A blast of arctic air is expected to swing into the region Thursday night, which is expected to cause rain to turn to snow overnight. Light amounts of snow are expected, but there could be enough to cause hazardous driving conditions early Friday morning. Temperatures are also expected to drop to the middle-teens Thursday night.
Because of the expected during the day on Thursday, TDOT said crews would not be able to treat the roads as they normally would ahead of winter weather. The rain could wash away the salt brine the department uses to prevent snow and ice from collecting on the roads.
If anyone needs to be on the road late Thursday into early Friday morning, TDOT urged drivers to use caution. They also emphasized people should not drive out Thursday night unless they absolutely need to.
"We tell folks, 'If you don't have to be on the roadways, stay off the roadways,'" said Mark Nagi, a spokesperson for TDOT. "It gives our crews the extra room to do their job safely."
If drivers see TDOT crews on the road, they should remember to slow down and move over, giving them plenty of space to continue their work.