ARKANSAS, USA — Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) crews took the roads Tuesday, Dec. 26, and Wednesday, Dec. 27, in 5COUNTRY prepping for possible winter weather.
While minimal travel impacts are expected for 5COUNTRY, small flurries and freezing temperatures may bring some slick spots on the roads this week.
In preparation, ARDOT brought in extra crews to help pretreat some of the known “trouble areas.”
“When we expect winter weather to hit Arkansas, we're reviewing several different weather models and trying to determine how many resources we need to allocate to prepare, so we are having a few extra crew members come in at night to help us pretreat some of the trouble spots on the roads,” ARDOT Media Communications Manager Ellen Coulter said.
Crews came in Tuesday night to start putting salt brine on those trouble spots, with more joining the effort Wednesday night.
“There are some spots on the roads, we call them bleeder spots because liquid or precipitation tends to seep up from the pavement and causes icy patches,” Coulter said.
In addition to being mindful of those icy patches, Coulter says it’s wise to take it slow on bridges when temperatures drop.
“We do always warn motorists that bridges do freeze before roads because they're not insulated like a road is by land, so it is possible that those bridges are going to be icy in the morning,” Coulter said.
In the morning especially, ARDOT advises drivers to take it slow and allow more time to get to their final destinations.
“Watch out for black ice and just don't be in a hurry. Leave space for the cars in front of you and eliminate distractions,” Coulter said.
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