It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and that includes dropping temperatures and winter weather preparedness.
The Georgia Department of Transportation aims to work preventatively when snow and ice fall on the forecast. District 1 Spokeswoman Katie Strickland said they pretreat interstates and state routes, as well as some other important roads, with brine to keep ice from forming as quickly.
The brine solution is just salt and water, but it's not something you can make at home.
"It's about a 33% salt water solution and it has to be mixed in a certain way. It's not table salt and it's not the rock salt, it's a specific kind of salt that we order that's held in these different areas around the region," said Strickland. "You might see them off of (Interstate) 85, you might see them at exits, they're called salt barns, and we shovel the salt into the loader, the loader puts it into our brine making machine and we manufacture this salt water solution."
Strickland said this way, brine trucks don't have to turn around and go back when they run out of the solution.
As for what each district has for their brine and trucks, Strickland said it's based on each district's needs. District One encompasses 21 counties, including the Gainesville, Cleveland, Athens and Carnesville areas, and has seven brine trucks, as well as several smaller trucks and 41 brine stations planted around the area.
"We not only have this team of brine trucks, but we also have these trucks with a hopper/spreader in the back," said Strickland. "That hopper/spreader is actually broadcasting small stones - like little gravel-sized stones - and salt, the same salt we put into the brine solution."
Strickland said the layers of pre-treatment are really just simple science. "Salt water lowers the freezing point of ice."
She added brine trucks come out as a preventative measure to treat interstates and state routes to prevent dangerous ice from forming. Sometimes, Strickland says some areas can be rebrined, like bridges and overpasses, especially after a light dusting of snow.
The brine trucks don't work alone. Strickland said the 10-wheel tandem dump trucks can be outfitted to become snowplows with a de-icing mixture spreader in the back.
On the local level, Hall County EMA Director Casey Ramsey said they're part of the process. "Our Emergency Operations Center has direct communication to the National Weather Service as well as the Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia Emergency Management Agency," he said in an email. "We have access to various tools provided by GDOT and NWS such as interstate cameras and roadway temperature sensors. We are able to provide real-time situational information to our local media partners, elected officials, healthcare community, and school districts so that they can make decisions that are best for their agencies and organizations."
Ramsey said the Hall County Road Maintenance department works in tandem with the communication recieved to keep things safe, including pre-treatments, pre-staging equipment, and creating and spreading brine. Ramsey said the City of Gainesville and Hall County work together on pre-treating roadways.
As you see the large brine trucks on the roadway, Strickland encourages commuters to be patient and stay back.
"If you see one of our brine trucks that is applying the brine, or spreading the rocks and salt, please just stay back," said Strickland. "There will be warnings, there is usually a dual situation with a truck spreading or applying the material and a truck beside them that's somewhat blocking traffic."
Strickland said she wishes she could apologize enough for the traffic block, as she's been behind those trucks herself, but it's for your safety.
"We're trying to plan ahead, so once you start seeing those, starting tuning in to your locale news and to the National Weather Service, make sure you have a plan in place for winter weather."
And, Strickland encouraged and thanked commuters for their patience and understanding as they work to prevent ice from accumulating on the roads.
"Safety is paramount, it's our number one priority. So we're going to do everything we can to make sure the roads are as safe as they can be."
Hall County citizens are also encouraged to sign up for the Citizen Alert System, a notification system that sends updates on important emergency notifications, included weather notifications, that will go straight to their phone. A video on how to opt-in can be found here.
