Road Crews Ready for Winter Weather

Tonight while you're sleeping, Tennessee Department of Transportation crews will be out making sure the roads will be safe when you wake up.  There is a chance of winter weather Saturday morning but crews won't wait for the snow to fall to get to work.

Workers are filling 75 trucks with saltwater and sending them out ahead of any storm.  "It's salt brine solution that we put down before," says TDOT regional director Ray Rucker.  "It does two things: it keeps the snow, if we get any, from bonding to the pavement and it'll melt some of the snow."

Any help is welcome news to people bracing for what could be the first blast of winter.  The sight of trucks spraying on Signal Mountain is welcome even if the thought of snow is not.  "I don't want it to snow," says one resident.  "I don't like snow."  Another adds "No, I don't like it.  It's pretty but I don't like it."

TDOT's proactive approach doesn't cost much either.  All the saltwater, or brine, put down in one day doesn't cost much more than $400.  The salt stacking up in the barn is already budgeted.  And TDOT tries to keep any over-time to a minimum but won't cut corners when it comes to safety.  "We do whatever it takes to get the weather taken care of to get the roads safe for travel" says spokesperson Jennifer Flynn.  "And if it means some overtime that's just what we do."

Of course all this work may be unnecessary should the snow be lighter than expected.  Or it might even go unnoticed if nobody's out on the roads to begin with.  "I'll just stay inside," says one lady.  "All weekend maybe."

TDOT also plans on trying something new this winter on some of our regional roads.  They will start mixing beet juice with the saltwater.  Experts say it enhances the effectiveness and melts even more snow.