The snowy forecast can't mean good things for drivers on area roadways. But transportation crews hope to keep roads operable.
"We started at 8 o'clock this morning," said David Lewis, Tennessee Department of Transportation Highway Maintenance Superintendent. Road crews in Tennessee got off to an early start Friday morning, mixing up salt and water to pre-treat interstates and state roads.
"That way when the snow first starts hittin' it will go ahead and start melting and not adhere to the road," said Lewis. Many salt treatments later, Lewis and his workers packed it in around 4:30 to catch some sleep before Saturday's storm. "They'll be out on their routes just waiting for the snow," said Lewis.
At midnight Friday, TDOT workers will be back at the office filling their trucks with a salty brine. They hope to be out on the roads by two in the morning. "I'm ready to go," said Dean Johnson from TDOT. She will be stationed by herself on highway 75 between Flag Pond and Jonesborough.
"Probably about seven o'clock will go to sleep and then be back up at 11," said Johnson. In her second year on the job, Johnson said she's excited for her overnight plow duty. "When this comes you get hyped up and you're ready to go," said Johnson.
Lewis said nearly 40 salt trucks like Johnson's will be on the roads Saturday, watching places like Sam's Gap and Interstate 81 around Bristol very closely.
In the commonwealth, the Virginia Department of Transportation said it pre-treated a few roads in Wise County, but most crews will wait until the snow starts falling before spreading salt.
For a full video report, click play above.
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