ATLANTA — Winter weather is upon us and that means roads could get risky.
To help Georgia drivers stay safe while making their daily commutes if they can’t stay home, the Georgia Department of Transportation has a few recommendations.
The list includes both how the state and local governments should be handling icy roads and other weather-related risks, as well as what drivers should do if they have to hit the roads.
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Here’s what GDOT has in their winter weather guide:
Achieve & Maintain Passable Road Conditions
- Keep roads safe and clear for emergency vehicles and first responders.
- Focus crews first on interstates; then state routes from the most heavily traveled to the least traveled.
- Goal is to maintain all lanes in passable condition unless storm severity dictates otherwise.
Focus on Trouble Spots
Pretreat bridges and overpasses prior to snow and ice conditions and monitor consistently.
Key Stakeholder Coordination
- Maintain good connectivity with local communities, elected officials and law enforcement.
- Update the public on road conditions & road closures as needed.
Interstate Response Teams
Teams with differing expertise respond to a variety of incidences. GDOT identifies these teams as:
- Brine Distribution
- Interstate
- Special Response
- Traffic Strike
Brine Distribution
- Distribute brine units on impacted highways. Brine is a mixture of salt and water is used as a preventative treatment and is intended to limit the bonding of the ice to the pavement.
Interstate
- Treat and remove snow from interstate roadways using 3-5 tandem dump trucks (trucks with snow plows and material spreaders attached). Up to 18 crews.
Special Response
- Respond to “hot spots” outside of treatment areas where interstate teams will focus.
Traffic Strike
Traffic Strike Teams consist of:
- Georgia State Patrol
- Motor Carrier Compliance Division
- Georgia DOT Highway Emergency Response Operator
- Department of Natural Resources
- Georgia Forestry Commission
- Georgia Department of Defense personnel.
GDOT’S Winter Weather Terminology at a Glance
Winter Weather Advisory:
- Exercise caution. Wintry weather expected. Light amounts of wintry precipitation or patchy blowing snow will cause slick conditions and could affect travel if precautions are not taken.
Winter Storm Watch:
- Be prepared. Snow, sleet, or ice possible! Confidence is medium that a winter storm could produce heavy snow, sleet, or freezing rain and cause significant impacts.
Winter Storm Warning:
- Take Action! Snow, sleet, or ice expected! Confidence is high that a winter storm will produce heavy snow, sleet, or freezing rain.
Dealing with Black Ice
- When wet roads freeze, the threat of black ice is possible. Black ice is a thin, often invisible sheet of ice that forms on the roadway, especially on bridges and overpasses and low lying areas. It can form at any time when temperatures drop below freezing and there is any form of moisture, from sprinklers, run-off or precipitation on the road way.
- In addition to maintenance crews, GDOT Highway Emergency Response Operators (HEROs) will monitor roadways in metro Atlanta for potential freezing. HEROs will notify the 511 dispatchers and routine maintenance crews will address these issues.
- GDOT utilizes the Roadway Weather Information System (RWIS) to help identify potential timeframes for black ice to enhance monitoring of these roadways.
- GDOT crews actively monitor spots where black ice has been problematic during prior winter weather events and address the forming of black ice as soon as it occurs.
GDOT Technology
- Roadway Weather Information System (RWIS) uses sensors in 57 locations across the state that improve ability to predict impacts on roads from temperature, precipitation, wind and ice.
- Expanded network of RWIS capabilities includes Georgia airports; and real-time capability to view all surrounding states’ weather conditions (AL, TN, NC, SC, North FL & MS).
- Additional cameras have been added to NaviGAtor Intelligent Transportation System to assist with monitoring and deploying resources.
- Web-based program monitors incidents on the roadways.
- Snow removal equipment operators equipped with communication devices to share real-time conditions with their Area and District Storm Operations Center.
What Drivers should look out for or do
- Beware of black ice (especially on bridges and overpasses) and watch for fallen trees or power lines.
- Avoid driving unless absolutely necessary or postpone until daylight when road conditions, such as black ice, may be visible.
- Do not pass a GDOT dump truck spreading gravel/salt; gravel may kick up and could break car windows. Follow at least 100-feet behind these vehicles.
- Be aware of GDOT work crews who clear snow and ice from interstates and state routes.
- SLOW DOWN to at least half of the normal speed limit and drive in low gear
- Treat a non-working traffic signal as a four-way stop.
If your vehicle gets stuck during a storm
- Be visible to rescuers
- Turn on dome light at night when running the engine
- Tie a bright colored cloth, preferably red to your antenna or door
- After the snow stops falling, raise the hood to indicate you need help
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