Winter Maintenance
Winter maintenance operations are an important work activity for the Maintenance Division and field forces. TDOT often uses an anti-icing measure called salt brine to help prevent snow and ice from accumulating on the highways. It is a combination of water, salt, and other additives that helps to prevent freezing from occurring. It is applied before the anticipated storm arrives, giving the roads a coat of protection that can start working as soon as snow starts falling. This allows TDOT to drastically reduce the amount of salt that must be used to battle winter weather conditions on the roadways, thus making winter maintenance work more economical. When snow and ice begins to accumulate on roadways, salt is spread and plows are utilized. TDOT constantly monitors weather conditions during the winter season, and road conditions are updated regularly on TDOT’s SmartWay Map. During the winter season, when temperatures fall and snow and ice accumulations are often a possibility, roadway conditions are proactively monitored to prioritize route clearance activities as dynamic storm conditions develop.
All rest areas and welcome centers in Tennessee provide current weather conditions, radar information, and weather advisory announcements. In addition, welcome centers also provide access to the TDOT SmartWay Information System. This system displays maps showing current travel conditions such as traffic incidents, construction information, camera video surveillance, message signs, traffic flows, and weather-related road conditions that may exists on any state road due to snow, ice, and flooding. More information on rest areas and welcome centers can be found on the Welcome Center & Rest Area page of the TDOT website.