Winter Weather Preps

The potential for winter weather means lots of preparation to keep roads clear.

The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department says, with icy conditions headed to Central Arkansas salt and sand trucks are ready to roll out, with just the right ingredients.

"Salt and calcium mix," explains Melvin Wylie, Crew Leader with AHTD.

Crews load sand and salt at the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department Central Complex.

The mixture is then taken to different locations around the state, when the call comes in, the main areas are treated immediately.

"I-30 and the Capitol grounds," said Wylie.

Also bridges and overpasses.

And in some parts of Arkansas, pretreatment started early.

"So we are in full swing with that, the Harrison area, Benton County area," said Danny Straessley, Assistant Public Information Officer, with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.

The best piece of advice when icy conditions form:

"If you don't have to get out, don't get out, also black ice is a problem, because you don't know it until you're on top of it," said Straessley.

And remember it's not just you on the roadways.

"You got to watch out for the other person," added Wylie.

A word of caution from the highway department, while the roads are pretreated, if it rains that can all be washed away and we are back at square one.

So drive slow and safe, even if it looks like roadways are clear.

Every year, between 5 and 6 million dollars is spent on winter weather clean-up.

The big Christmas snowstorm clean up cost more than a million dollars.

The budget is fine according to the highway department, but adds winter weather does cut into the budget for routine things like, ditch and drainage clean up.