Some Ky. highway crews pre-treating in anticipation of winter weather | News

(KFVS) - The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says some highway crews are planning to pre-treat roads in anticipation of winter precipitation Tuesday afternoon and night.

The National Weather Service has placed portions of Western Kentucky under a Winter Weather Advisory until 2 a.m. on Wednesday. An area of wintry mix that is expected to hit northwest Tennessee could move northward to impact a number of Kentucky counties. The forecast includes a chance of sleet, freezing rain, and/or snow south of a line from about Mayfield to near Owensboro.

Temperatures have risen to near 30 degrees allowing the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Christian County Highway Crew to pre-treat highways in the southern half of the county.

According to KYTC, Lyon County and Trigg County are primarily focusing their pre-treating efforts primarily on bridges and overpasses. Other counties will be considering pre-treating if temperatures and other weather conditions allow.

They say drivers should be alert for slow moving trucks as crews go about the pre-treating process.

Pre-treating involves spraying brine on road surfaces. The water evaporates, leaving behind a fine powder on the road surface to be activated by snow or other precipitation in the early hours of a winter event. Pre-treating requires a fairly specific set of conditions. The temperature has to be above 20 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the brine from freezing when it first hit the pavement. Rain in front of a winter weather event prevents pre-treating because the rain would wash it away before the winter precipitation starts.

Drivers are reminded to carefully monitor the local weather forecast for changes and updates whenever there is a potential for snow or ice.

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