Alamo City prepares for possible freezing precipitation

State, local crews ready to treat roads

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio area is bracing for what could be treacherous roads overnight as temperatures dip and precipitation is possible.

Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman Laura Lopez said her agency is ready for any inclement weather that happens Friday night into Saturday morning.

"Winter weather is very unpredictable," Lopez said. "We don't know what is going to be happening. We started already (Thursday) night in Bexar County pretreating the overpasses and bridges. We are ahead of the game right now in Bexar County."

She is urging people to stay home, but said for those drivers who do venture out, TxDOT will have trucks and crews ready to treat the roads.

"We are watching the weather conditions (and) we've got our guys out there checking the overpasses and bridges," Lopez said. "We will be using other chemicals such as magnesium chloride and chat rock as conditions worsen."

The city and county are ready as well for the possibility of icy weather moving in. Bexar County crews are resting and the trucks are ready at the county's yard at Judson Road and Loop 1604.

Work has already been done to test the spreaders to make sure they can hit the roads overnight if things get icy.

In addition to the trucks and the pile of rock, Bexar County Public Works Director Renee Green said the county is paying attention to the crews as well.

"We made the decision yesterday to go (on a) 24-hour rotation," Green said. "So we had half the crews that showed up this morning and then the other half will show up late this afternoon. If the weather continues to show precipitation with dropping temperatures, we'll begin to spread what we call chat rock on the bridges and overpasses."

The county has an inclement weather plan that was updated about a year ago, and Green said it could go into effect Friday night and Saturday morning.

"If we have this type of precipitation that's out there right now, you'll begin to see icing on the overpasses and bridges very quickly," Green said.

And that could mean slipping and sliding for area drivers.

Closures:

  • Due to inclement weather, Alamo Colleges will suspend normal operations on Saturday, Jan. 10. Some special events may take place as scheduled. Students, faculty and employees who are scheduled to participate in an event Jan. 10 should contact their event coordinator for more information. For the latest information regarding closures, please go to alamo.edu or call 210-485-0189.
  • Due to inclement weather in San Antonio and the surrounding area the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) campus will delay opening until 12 p.m. (noon), Saturday, Jan. 10. Delays will affect UIW's main campus, all ADCaP locations, the Rosenberg School of Optometry, the UIW School of Physical Therapy as well as Incarnate Word High School and St. Anthony Catholic High School. The UIW Eye Institute on Datapoint and the Bowden Eye Care & Health Center located at 2547 E. Commerce St. will also open at noon. For additional information please visit www.UIW.edu or www.facebook.com/uiwcardinals
  • Due to the most current weather forecast for the potential sleet/freeze tonight and tomorrow morning, Reagan High School will be canceling this week's Saturday School, Jan. 10. Students who have already paid for this Saturday School will be transferred to the next Saturday School date of Jan. 24. The canceling of tomorrow's Saturday School will also be posted on the District website.
  • Due to expected inclement weather, the 433rd Airlift Wing commander is directing only mission essential personnel as designated by their unit commander to report for the Unit Training Assembly on Jan. 10. Personnel who are currently in Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland lodging have the option to report to accomplish training. All 433rd AW personnel should continue to monitor local news outlets, social media and the wing website for further reporting instructions for Jan. 11. Personnel should contact their supervisor for more information.