Road crews treated many of the bridges and overpasses in the Metroplex on Wednesday, and hundreds of miles of roads received a coat of brine in the first line of defense against ice.
“What we have done is we have come up with a brine solution which is a fancy name for salt water. We will put it on the roadway in advance of the storm. It will form a salt barrier when precipitation hits,” said Michael Rey, with the North Texas Tollway Authority.
That barrier lowers the freezing point, making it harder for the roads to ice over.
The Texas Department of Transportation is using brine, too.
"We have the potential for significant ice on the road surface. That is dangerous - a dangerous mix when you put that in with the New Year's Eve holiday,” said TxDOT spokesman Ryan LaFontaine.
With the potential for bad weather ahead, LaFontaine is hoping people play it safe Wednesday night into Thursday.
“We are asking people to stay off the roads. If you don't absolutely have to be out it would be best to stay home,” he said.
