ODESSA, Texas — For now, the roads have remained clear and ice-free, but that doesn't mean the Texas Department of Transportation isn't preparing themselves for any potential problem.
TxDOT keeps a close eye on the weather forecast and, if they see precipitation in the forecast, they bring out the trucks to start getting the roads ready.
“Once we see that we're going to see some precipitation or anything like that, then we'll start treating the roads," TxDOT Public Information Officer Maryann Cedillo said. "We'll start treating our tier one roads, which are those interstate roads.”
More specifically, they’ll hit the roads with a brine and saltwater solution. It’s not going to keep the ice away but it’ll help break it up when it forms and keep it from sticking to the roads.
Brine and Saltwater is a tried-and-true solution that TxDOT turns to when it comes to treating our roads and, more often then not, it’s what they turn to as soon as the weather gets cold.
“It depends on what's going on that the brine saltwater solution is basically what we use to as a preventative measure, so we use that first," Cedillo said. "So then we have to see what the forecast shows and then we look at what that's going to be and then we decide how we're going to address those situations.”
There are other problems than just the precipitation. Any kind of liquid that ends up on the road has the potential to freeze over which can give you a little something called black ice.
Which is something TxDOT tries to take care of before it gets bad.
“It could be an oil spill, it could be a little bit of rain, it doesn't have to be ice, it could be like rain, snow or whatever," Cedillo said. "It's going to your cause some slick spots, and we call those hotspots. So we go out there and before treating our tier one roads and we also try to treat those hotspots as well.”
So what can be done if drivers are hitting the road when the roads are less than stable?
Drivers should give themselves a lot of time to get where you need to go and make sure that everything in the car is in tip top shape and aren’t falling apart.
“You want to make sure that your tires are in good condition; your windshield wipers, your heating to defrost your windshield, all of those things are in proper working order," Cedillo said. "You never know how the weather is going to change but if you have to get out into it and you want to make sure that those things are working for you.”