ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Transportation says road conditions have started to deteriorate as a winter storm covers Atlanta metro area roadways with snow and ice.
GDOT crews were able to pretreat major metro area interstates with gallons of brine prior to the start of the snowfall. As of noon Friday, about 100 plows were deployed to get as much moisture off the roads before conditions freeze Friday night.
GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale advised that they have dropped millions of gallons of brine onto Atlanta metro area roadways in addition to treating roads with salt.
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Snow, icy covered roads across metro Atlanta
“This is going to transition back over to ice, as we are told, so a lot of just really slippery, yucky stuff going on on our roads,” said GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale. “Our crews are out there working on it.”
What we’re seeing and what you can expect
GDOT says they treat about 20,000 lane miles, which takes time. They say they are going to prioritize two passable lanes on interstates. Once the pass-through on the interstates is complete, that is when GDOT crews move to secondary roadways.
The snow has accumulated, and it has accumulated quickly. The Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 7 a.m. Saturday, however, the storm system is moving through faster than initially expected. Significant accumulations could be seen in metro counties like Cobb County, DeKalb County, Gwinnett County and Fulton County, including Midtown Atlanta. Further south, Fayette County roads were also covered.
Accidents on the roads
Several departments have reported crashes or spin outs along roads ways due to slippery conditions. In Clayton County, two cars spun out along the I-85 south past Camp Creek Parkway. A semi-crash was reported in Cobb County at the I-75 south exit to I-285.
The Gwinnett County Police Department is encouraging everyone to stay off the roadways unless absolutely necessary.
The department is reporting several roadway problems, as of 8:40 AM, including:
A large accident involving a tractor trailer at Five Forks Trickum Rd. and Oleander Drive.
A vehicle accident, with major backup, at Buford Drive and Ridge Road, with roadway closed down.
An accident, with reports of ice and slick roadways, at Duluth Highway and Lawrenceville Suwanee Road.
A major backup, with vehicles stuck in the roadway, at Boggs Road and Old Norcross Road.
Several accidents on Killian Hill Road at Five Forks Trickum Rd.
“If you are at home, please stay home. That’s the best advice we can give you,” said FOX 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alex Forbes.
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The Source: FOX 5 spoke with GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale. FOX 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alex Forbes contributed to this report.
