NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Crews with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) took advantage of Monday’s sunny weather by spraying Middle Tennessee’s most-traveled roads with brine.
The salt and water mixture gives TDOT a jumpstart when the snow begins to fall. The brine is sprayed on the road to coat it with a thin layer of salt, which lowers the freezing point of water. That can keep roads wet instead of icy for the first few hours of the storm.
Erin Zeigler, a communications officer with TDOT, said crews will be very busy over the next few days.
“We hope to finish up [by] tomorrow midday, and then our crews will go home and rest, and then they will be out ready to go Tuesday around 7 p.m. when we anticipate the snow to fall,” Zeigler told News 2.
TDOT’s third region covers most of Middle Tennessee and has two types of trucks: 200 trucks that can hold 1,000 gallons of brine and six larger trucks that can hold 4,500 gallons of brine. Zeigler called the larger trucks super soakers.
While brine is great for keeping roads clear, Zeigler said it can cause damage to your vehicle.
“Brine and salt does do damage to vehicles,” Zeigler said. “That’s why after a big snow event you’ll see a big line out the carwash. If you can, stay off the roads. But of course, as soon as that sun starts shining and it gets a little warm out, you’ve got to wash your car.”
According to Zeigler, TDOT brines 11,000 lane miles of roads across middle Tennessee. She said once the snow starts falling, the agency’s focus turns to plowing.
Don’t forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker app.
