Bridges and overpasses in four North Texas counties have been pretreated for ice in advance of the Arctic cold temperatures Thursday and Friday.
"They don't have the benefit of being insulated by the ground," explained Val Lopez, with the Texas Department of Transportation's Fort Worth District. "We don't anticipate the main lanes being affected. It's just been too warm recently for that to happen."
TxDOT crews applied brine, a mixture of salt and water, to elevated surfaces in Johnson, Erath, Hood and Somervell counties Wednesday.
"What it does is it lowers the freezing point of any precipitation – frozen precipitation – that hits it. Or once it hits, if the temperature goes down, it prevents it from refreezing," Lopez said.
If needed, TxDOT crews will be ready to spread a mixture of salt and sand on icy roads and bridges.
"We are absolutely monitoring the forecast. We're keeping an eye on conditions, and we'll call in our crews if it warrants. If conditions get worse, we'll have out crews come in," Lopez said.
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NBC 5 Chief Meteorologist David Finfrock said to expect the coldest air North Texas has seen in almost two years. Areas south and west of Fort Worth may see some light freezing rain overnight, ending by Thursday morning. No accumulation is expected.
Temperatures will be in the 20s Thursday morning, and even colder Friday morning.
