TARRANT COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) – Transportation crews in Fort Worth made changes to their salt and sand plans for winter road preparation after 2021’s major winter storm.
The extended sub-freezing temperature last year cause moisture in the sand to freeze, clumping the material and preventing it from spreading.
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To avoid that, the transportation and public works department doubled the salt percentage in its mix this year, from five to 10 percent. It’s also waiting until just before trucks go out to load them up, so cold truck beds don’t cause the same problem.
Fort Worth crews plan to start spraying brine on roads Tuesday, starting with a list of roads and bridges. Once spotters get word of icing issues developing, salt and sand trucks are expected to start in the northwestern parts of the city, as well as monitor conditions in the hospital district.
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TXDoT trucks started work Monday on about 7,000 miles of roads in the Dallas and Fort Worth districts. It’s the first time the Dallas district has had to put brine down over a widespread area this season.
While rain is expected at the start of the storm, road crews did not expect it to be enough to wash brine off the pavement.
They cautioned though that because crews in the region focus on major roadways, hills and trouble spots, there will likely still be icy spots away from those areas.
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“It really is incumbent on drivers to remember they’ve got to do their part for safety as well. So that means you might not be able to go the speed limit on some stretches,” said Kenna Mitchell with TXDoT.