BATON ROUGE — Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development crews have begun winter weather road preparations across the state.
Road treatment started on Sunday, with crews applying brine—a salt-and-water solution used to treat icy and snowy roads—to bridges and overpasses. Brine is typically applied before a storm to prevent ice and snow from sticking to road surfaces.
While the brine solution may not fully combat the 4–6 inches of snow forecast for the Baton Rouge area, LaDOTD officials told UWK that it will help keep roads open for as long as possible.
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On Monday morning, LaDOTD shared pictures of trucks spraying brine across East Baton Rouge Parish. According to a Facebook post, roads in Pointe Coupee Parish were pre-treated on Sunday.
Governor Jeff Landry has been warning residents about potential road hazards ahead of Tuesday’s anticipated winter storm.
“DOTD and Louisiana State Police have been working day in and day out as we prepare for this to make sure that we have the inventory necessary to keep the roads clear,” Landry said during an GOHSEP update Sunday. “As this event unfolds, we’re going to pray that when we get the snowfall, it melts fast and everyone can return to normal life.”
In addition to the extreme freeze in the forecast, Landry emphasized the importance of keeping people off the roads during the storm.
“We’re not a state that’s well-equipped to handle heavy snow, so we urge our citizens to be patient as we work to clear the roads and make them safe for travel.”
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The state is working with neighboring Arkansas to bring in snow plows to clear ‘priority routes,’ UWK has learned.
Forecasters believe that many roads may remain unsafe for travel until late Wednesday or even Thursday due to below-freezing temperatures.
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