TxDOT Preparing Equipment For Winter Weather

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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Temperatures will still be nearing 90 degrees this weekend, but officials with the Texas Department of Transportation are already thinking about snow. The organization's maintenance yard is in Fort Worth is busy getting ready for the winter.

It might seem a little bit early to be preparing for freezing temperatures, and TxDOT actually used to begin preparations later in the year. But ice storms can sneak up earlier than anticipated -- as has happened in the past -- and it is never a bad time to be prepared.

TxDOT facilities in Fort Worth and Dallas have a combined 325 dump trucks, sanders and de-icers ready to start hitting roads during winter weather events, and more than 570 employees ready to work around the clock in emergency situations. The two districts together cover 16 counties.

Snow and ice events can last up to 36 hours. TxDOT has big pieces of equipment out on the roads before, during and after the severe weather strikes, treating bridges and overpasses first.

"We use a variety of materials here at TxDOT to help de-ice our roadways," explained spokesman Val Lopez. "That could be a combination of salt, sand, salt-based de-icers and liquid de-icers. There's not one magic product that's a magic bullet to take  care of all of it. It's going to be a combination of these products that we use to keep the roadways as safe as possible."

And, just as it is dangerous for drivers to be out on icy surfaces, winter weather is also dangerous for TxDOT's road crews. So, keep your distance from workers this winter.