Iowa DOT prepares for impending refreeze, shares tips for road conditions
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Transportation has been hard at work since Friday and is prepared to continue through the rest of the weekend.
Beginning Friday afternoon, the Iowa DOT sent out crews to lay down salt mix. On Saturday afternoon around 214 crews were still salting roads, with plans to continue into Sunday.
Saturday’s road conditions were slick and icy with several accidents reported around the metro. The temperature is expected to drop leading to a refreeze overnight that will prolong the conditions.
“Roads might change very quickly,” said Andrea Henry, the Director of Outreach for Iowa DOT. “So, you might go from normal driving conditions to a patch of ice. So, in general, just slow down so that you can be ready for the unexpected.”
The DOT reminds drivers that partially covered and seasonal conditions roads are still dangerous, and drivers should take extra precaution behind the wheel.
“Just because the road conditions might say they are partially covered or even back to seasonal conditions, that doesn’t mean that it’s completely dry,” said Henry. “When we have weather like this, there’s still a lot of precipitation in the air or rain that has come down earlier that could refreeze very quickly.”
As the temperature continues to fluctuate the road conditions will constantly be changing.
“One of the things that you want to do is make sure that you’re looking for places where ice can form. So, things like bridges or underpass passes or when the sun shines again, areas that might be shaded by trees or buildings tend to ice up quick,” said Henry.
If you must traverse the roads this weekend the DOT recommends increasing following distance, don’t use cruise control, check your headlights, and leave plenty of time for travel.
The Iowa DOT recommends people check their website for up to date with road conditions and plow movement.
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