City, county, and state road crews are putting their plans into action ahead of Friday’s expected snow.
Greene County Highway Superintendent Kevin Swatsell said that county road crews will be pre-treating some areas on Thursday with granulated salt. Laying down a base of salt can help form a layer of brine on the pavement, which can greatly decreasing the formation of ice on the roadway. Pre-treating can also make it easier to plow the snow off of the road safely since the snow is not frozen to the pavement. Swatsell said the county’s trucks, scrapers, and employees are at the ready.
TDOT Regional Director/Assistant Chief Engineer Steve Borden said that the state is in good shape in terms of salt supplies and equipment. TDOT crews have been pre-treating East Tennessee’s interstates and state routes with salt brine, a salt/water mixture used before a winter storm. Salt brine can be used to melt snow when temperatures are around freezing. Crews apply salt once snow collects on roadways.
In East Tennessee, TDOT has 212 Salt Trucks, 99 Brine Trucks, 68,450 tons of Bulk Salt, 302,772 gallons of Salt Brine and 31 Salt Bins available for use.
TDOT ice and snow removal teams focus first on clearing interstates and heavily traveled state routes specifically targeting areas vulnerable to freezing, such as hills, curves, ramps, bridges, and interchanges. During prolonged weather events, crews may have to clear roadways repeatedly.
