Georgia road preparations for winter storm outlined by GDOT

ATLANTA — The top official for the Georgia Department of Transportation on Saturday outlined the extensive steps being taken to prepare state roadways ahead of the impacts of an ice storm.

GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry spoke at a press conference with other state officials about the state’s preparedness, as a potentially highly disruptive storm is expected to ice over many roads.

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Keep in mind that state resources get deployed to interstates and state highways, as McMurry mentioned. The availability of salting trucks for county and city roads will vary by jurisdiction — meaning, in practical terms, whether you can get out of your driveway will depend on conditions and your local response.

Commissioner McMurry outlined some of the numbers involved:

• 1,800 state employees are working 12-on, 12-off shifts throughout the ice storm.
• 18,000 miles of roadway, primarily north of I-20, are to be pre-treated.
• Pre-treating takes about 12-14 hours and began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning.
• 300 plow trucks are available to disperse salt and push slush off the road once the sleet/freezing rain has set in.

McMurry also laid out the general map of where roads are being treated:

• I-20, from its western point in Temple, Georgia, to Augusta and the South Carolina state line;
• I-85 up to South Carolina (he did not say how far south);
• I-75, from Macon to the Tennessee line;
• Major state routes around metro Atlanta and north of I-20.

McMurry said trucks will first be spreading brine, a solution that can help delay the onset of roadway freezing and ice accumulation.

“Our plan is to continuously brine those locations of interstates and critical state routes the entire time of this event,” he said. He said it takes about 12-14 hours to complete the routes and come back for a second round.

There are also chainsaw teams available for clearing downed trees.