Over 80 tons of salt, ready to go. Just the beginning of a long day of weather preps for TDOT.
"We've got 15 to 20 people on stand by. We are preparing 8 salt trucks and two brine trucks to go out. We are going kind of in advance go out and hit our worst areas just to make sure that they don't freeze first, and then just kind of be on standby the rest of the time," says Ken Flynn, TDOT's Director Of Operations over Region II.
Bridges and interstate routes will be the most closely monitored as TDOT workers toil into the evening hours.
"There are certain bridges that the crews know that typically freeze first, that's higher in the air where the air can circulate around it and they maybe hold water a little bit more or a little bit longer than they should. So they'll go out, they'll hit those first, then they'll come back and hit the major state routes," adds Flynn.
City workers are also on stand by to make sure local troublespots are taken care of.
"We'll get everybody station in certain places where we know it'll be real hazardous to drive on so we are standing ready any time whatever weather comes along," says City Councilman Manny Rico.
Shoppers at this Bi-Lo in St. Elmo are getting prepared now, so they won't have to be on the roads later.
"I grew up with snow, there are a lot of people who don't know how to drive in it or stuff like that but for us it's ok," says Shannon Verhine.
"The drivers here are a little crazy anyway but when there is any sort of weather it gets I find it very frightening, I stay off the roads all together because the other drivers are unsafe and not used to the weather and there can be lots of accidents," adds Charity Martin.
TDOT Officials also caution that even without snow there are still hidden dangers on the roadway.
"There's still debris that's been pushed in the road by all this rain we've had lately, so people just need to slow down, pay attention, don't be playing on your phone..let's just arrive to where we are going to get and get there safely."
