KYTC road crews on alert for snow and ice

Crews out in district counties

FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. – Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) road crews in Department of Highways District Nine have begun pre-treating interstates and major highways in advance of a winter storm.

Crews are applying brine, which is a salt compound that sticks to dry road surfaces and begins dissolving as soon as snow hits the road. It’s the first line of defense against wintry precipitation, giving salt truck crews a head start.

National Weather Service forecasts call for chances of snow most of the week with accumulation possible Tuesday. In addition, cold arctic area is expected to move through Kentucky, which could make driving conditions hazardous.

Highway crews in District Nine – covering Bath, Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Fleming, Greenup, Lewis, Mason, Nicholas and Rowan counties – will remain on alert, ready to treat more than 2,000 miles of roadways with snow plows in every county, more than 100 operators, nearly 20,000 tons of salt, and tens of thousands of gallons of salt brine and liquid calcium.

The most heavily traveled roadways are the first priorities during snow removal. Less traveled roads are cleared as quickly as possible. You can find your county’s snow and ice priority map online at http://transportation.ky.gov/d9/Snow.htm.

Motorists are reminded to drive with caution in snow and ice, to please share the road with KYTC equipment, and to always buckle up and Drive Smart. Kentucky’s Snow and Ice Treatment Map is available online at http://kytcgis.ky.gov/snow_ice.

Winter Driving Tips

Drive carefully. Allow plenty of time to get to your destination. Do not use cruise control. Remember that bridges, overpasses and exit and entrance ramps can be icy when other areas are not.

Leave a “space cushion.” Leave enough room between you and the car in front of you

because stopping in snow may require up to four times your normal stopping distance.

Be seen. Dull, cloudy days will cut down on visibility so drive using low-beam headlights.

Steer into the skid. Stay calm and ease your foot off the gas while carefully steering in the direction you want the front of your vehicle to go.