SAN ANTONIO – With wet and cold conditions expected through Wednesday, drivers in northern Bexar County and the Hill Country should be on the lookout for icy roads.
The Texas Department of Transportation’s San Antonio district has already been pre-treating major bridges and overpasses in the northern portion of Bexar County, as well as along I-35 into Comal County and I-10 toward the Kerrville area.
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Watch out for crews as they are pretreating in preparation for the winter weather headed to our region. #BeSafeDriveSmart #WinterWeather pic.twitter.com/S8VcKgQCqp
— TxDOT San Antonio (@TxDOTSanAntonio) January 30, 2023
Bexar County Public Works also plans to use a combination of de-icing agent and gravel on its bridges when the temperatures hit freezing.
The de-icing agent the county plans to use is 80 percent brine and 20 percent beet-juice derivative.
According to a data sheet from the manufacturer, the mixture is less corrosive than a traditional brine and results in less salt application to the roads.
It will be the first time the county has used the mixture on a wide scale, but Superintendent of Infrastructure Aaron Martinez said it got positive results for other local municipalities.
“Less clean up afterwards from what I’ve heard,” he said. “So you don’t have to go back and have to sweep up all that gravel in the road.”
Since the county hasn’t had much experience with the new, beet juice de-icing agent, Martinez said they’ll still use the gravel this time around to have as a back-up.
District TXDOT spokeswoman Laura Lopez recommended that drivers who don’t have to travel stay off the road.
Track the latest weather conditions with Your Weather Authority KSAT Meteorologists and the latest driving conditions on TXDOT’s DriveTexas website.