NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Louisiana’s weather forecast is predicting freezing temperatures mixed with a chance of precipitation for the next few days.
Officials with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for District 2 said with approximately 250,000 pounds of untreated salts on hand, they are confident they are prepared.
“Part of our preparation involves getting materials and equipment in working order and doing the best we can to keep our priority routes open. Which includes our Mississippi River crossing and a number of bridges,” said District 2 Engineer Administrator for DOTD Scott Boyle.
A big part of that preparation is mixing the salt and water into a brine to later be put on the roads in anticipation of cold weather.
“We can also apply this without being in a liquid form. We can also apply this on the road and that can also keep frozen precipitation from forming,” said Boyle.
DOTD officials said around 130 crew members will be on the roads to keep the pavement intact for drivers. Targeting Tuesday to be one of the worst days, they brought in reinforcements.
“We are going to load the saltwater in these tanks and if need be, if conditions warrant it, we are going to go along our roads and bridges to keep that road from freezing,” said Boyle.
And they aren’t stopping there.
“We load this up with salt water in here and then we turn on the distributor and it actually distributes the salt on the road, and this is going to be in the rock form,” said Boyle.
Boyle also reminds drivers to stay off the roads during hazardous conditions.
“Once inclement weather does come in it’s important to drive defensively, drive cautiously and stay off the road unless it’s absolutely necessary once the icy roads do come in,” said Boyle.
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