Louisiana DOTD prepping the roadways with the freezing temperatures on the way

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Roads are at risk when the rain combines with the cold, which can create icy roadways making them unsafe for drivers.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development began salting and brining roads and bridges on Saturday to create a barrier that prevents ice from bonding to the surface.

“Bridges and overpasses during these winter weather events are the most likely to ice over and that’s why we’re going out here kind of pretreating these priority routes. I-10 is our main priority route,” said DOTD Public Information Officer John Guidroz.

Guidroz says this is a 24-hour operation and all hands are on deck throughout Southwest Louisiana.

“So we have multiple crews throughout the five parish areas. Again they’re going throughout the region to kind of treat different areas. We’ve got about 100 employees per shift. So that’s during the day and night shift,’ said Guidroz.

He says they have 400,000 pounds of salt, fourteen thousand gallons of brine, and additional shipments of salt on the way.

“We distributed about 9,400 gallons of brine. So, that kind of gives you an idea of just how expansive an operation is like this. It’s something that has to be very organized and run very efficiently and there is a lot of resources and a lot of personnel that goes into putting on an operation like this,” said Guidroz.

He says if water is on the roads in the frigid conditions, it is best to not risk driving at night.

“We want to make sure that you know motorists are safe out there. If you have to get on the roadways at all please drive safely. You know, wear your seatbelt, don’t text and drive, don’t drive distracted, don’t drink and drive but if you can just stay home until this event is over,” said Guidroz.

Louisiana DOTD will continue to monitor the winter weather. You can find out about lane closures at 511la.org.