ODOT Making Preparations For Possible Winter Weather

Crews are prepared for the possibility of slick roads before the winter weather hits Thursday.

"Every event is a different animal and we're going to be out there. We're going to be hitting the bridges and overpasses first like we also do. Then we'll treat the mainline and ramps as we can," said TJ Gerlach with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT).

Gerlach said unfortunately the Tulsa area is expecting heavy rain first, then freezing temperatures, which means crews won't be able to use a pre-treatment on the roads.

"That thunderstorm, especially heavy rain, is just going to come in and wash it away, and before the temperatures actually freeze, traffic is moving at its mostly normal speed and that also pushes the material off the road," said Gerlach.

He said ODOT is working with Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) crews to cover 1,100 miles of lanes on the highways and nearly 500 bridges and overpasses, just in Tulsa County.

"We're monitoring the weather reports just as everybody else is and we'll be out in the morning whenever the freezing temperature and freezing drizzle come in," said Gerlach.

He said they don't expect the road conditions to be like they were earlier in the month during the last winter blast, but said if it does happen they'll have 25 trucks on the roads making sure they're safe for drivers.

"We just encourage drivers to slow down, take it easy, and pay attention to the conditions. Especially they're passing over a bridge," said Gerlach.