Road Crews Prepare for Snow/Ice

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet crews in District 2 have started pre-treating area highways to prepare for light snow showers and rain during the day, changing over to sleet and snow tonight.  The National Weather Service at Paducah has issued a winter weather advisory for the region from Noon, today, to 6:00 a.m., Tuesday. 

Southern counties of the district are likely to get mostly rain.  However, rain is likely to develop into sleet and snow across the northern counties. 

Counties across the northern half of the district have cranked up efforts to pre-treat as many highways as possible before the winter precipitation starts later in the day. 

It normally takes most counties about two days to treat all roadways.  Crews will be initially concentrating on “A” snow priority routes and then move to “B” and “C” priority routes if time allows. 

Motorists should be alert for slow moving trucks out spraying brine through the day. Pre-treating gives highway crews a head start on winter weather.  The brine dries on road surfaces leaving a fine powder of salt available to be activated in the early hours of a winter snow event.  The salt solution helps to initially improving road conditions as snow starts to fall.   It also helps keep snow and ice from bonding to the road driving surface making it easier to plow off as it accumulates. 

As the pre-treating work continues through the day, the District 2 Snow & Ice Team will be evaluating an appropriate response level for the evening hours based on changes in the forecast and road surface conditions as the winter precipitation develops.

Motorists are urged to slow down and be alert for changing road conditions.  Motorists should get regular weather updates by monitoring area news media outlets. 

Timely traffic advisories for the 11 counties of KYTC Highway District 2 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict2.  You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.