A snow plow truck shovels snow off to the sides of the road on the Chisholm Trail Tollway in Fort Worth on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.
ctorres@star-telegram.com
Officials say they are taking steps to prepare North Texas’ roads, including toll lanes, as ice and snow is expected to sweep the region Friday and Saturday.
“Roads will be dangerous,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams, speaking about travel across the state.
Preparing North Texas roads for ice, possible toll closures
State officials and North Tarrant Express, which manages toll roads in the Fort Worth area, say they have been treating roadways for ice.
Divers may see lane closures on toll roads, but timing hasn’t been announced. North Tarrant Express hasn’t announced lane closures, but is set to meet with state officials Thursday afternoon to “determine the exact time to close the express lanes,” spokesperson Robert Hinkle said in a Thursday morning email.
Updates will be shared on social media, he said.
Williams joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials at a Thursday news conference to update the public on steps the state is taking to prepare for the storm. Much of the state is expected to be affected by the winter weather.
“The DFW area has been a very significant area of focus for not only the Texas Department of Public Transportation, but also all of the local agencies and some of the toll road operators that also maintain roadways,” Williams said. “So very importantly, we coordinate within those agencies and collaborate on the process for treating those roads.”
Roadways have been treated with a brine solution made of salt and water. When ice or snow accumulate, the mixture helps to speed up the melting process, Williams said.
Hinkle said North Tarrant Express’ road crews are finishing up brining cycles on its roadways Thursday morning.
“We will then switch the trucks to salt and begin patrolling and treating Friday morning,” Hinkle said.
Williams cautioned drivers that brining roads does not prevent all ice, describing it as a “preventative measure, not a prohibitive measure.”
He urged drivers to pay attention to variable speed limits, which can be dropped to adjust for hazardous road conditions. Williams also said road closures are expected.
“For a lot of the roads in the DFW area, especially some of the toll roads or some of the contraflow lanes, one of the things that we often do and anticipate doing is, we will shut those down during these events,” Williams said. “Because, quite frankly, without as many people being on the roads, those aren’t as needed.”
The safest option is to avoid driving altogether, Williams said.
“Any amount of ice is a dangerous amount of ice,” he said. “Any amount of frozen participation on our roads is a dangerous amount of frozen participation, even with our efforts to pretreat roads and be prepared to help respond in those instances.”
Willams urged those who must drive to slow down, increase space between vehicles, break slowly and to be aware of falling limbs and power lines. Vehicles should be stocked with fuel, food, water and blankets, in case of long delays due to road closure, he said. Drivers should also be mindful of crews working on roads.
Updates on road closures in Texas
Drivetexas.org provides updates on closures, accidents and construction on roads in Texas.
Eleanor Dearman
Source link
