Georgia crews move from pre-treatment operations to active snowplow and removal

ATLANTA — Let it snow!

Georgia Department of Transportation officials said the agency has transitioned from brine pre-treatment operations to active snowplow and removal in much of the state. With several inches of snow in some locations, more than 300 pieces of equipment are now deployed across the region to plow Georgia roads.

Crews continue to work 12-hour shifts and prioritize routes heavily traveled by emergency vehicles. However, with continued precipitation, including sleet and freezing rain, forecast for much of today, road conditions continue to deteriorate and should be considered hazardous for travel.

Numerous crashes and incidents have been reported on Georgia’s interstates and state routes, and state officials want motorists to stay off the roads.

At a Friday morning press conference, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp praised state agencies’ efforts.

“I want to thank our citizens for listening to the advice that we’ve been giving over the last 24 to 48 hours about being prepared and winter-weather ready,” Kemp said.

As of Friday morning, GDOT crews had treated more than 20,000 lane miles of Georgia interstates, state routes, bridges and overpasses with more than one million gallons of brine, a salt-and-water mixture that helps prevent ice from bonding to the road’s surface. Crews had also applied approximately 770 tons of salt to roadways across the region.

GDOT said all interstates and state routes in the most affected areas had been treated at least once when the storm arrived early Friday morning, with most interstates having been treated twice.