2019 Winter weather guide

Georgia Department of Transportation Office of Strategic Communications One Georgia Center 600 West Peachtree Street NW Atlanta, GA 30308 Phone: 404.631.1990 www.dot.ga.gov

Contacts and Information
Media Contacts: Natalie Dale: (GO) 404-631-1814 Katie Strickland: (D#1) 678-725-9632 Kyle Collins: (D#2) 478-553-3361 Penny Brooks: (D#3) 706-741-3439 Nita Birmingham: (D#4) 229-326-5435 Jill Nagel: (D#5) 912-424-6643 Mohamed Arafa: (D#6) 770-359-9523 Tori Brown: (D#7) 404-381-7346
Follow GDOT on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube
Access roadway conditions here: www.dot.ga.gov/winterweather www.weather.gov/fcc/gdot_rwis

2018 Georgia Department of Transportation Office of Strategic Communications

Materials and Resources
Statewide 1,938 employees on-call covering 39,919 lane miles 54,030 tons of salt 65,460 tons of gravel 426 snow removal equipment units (one plow +
hopper + truck = one equipment unit) Capacity to store 550,000 gallons of brine 80 F-250 pick-ups with plows and spreaders Capacity to store 30,000 gallons of calcium chloride. GDOT may relocate district resources to the most-
needed areas during an event.
District 1 Northeast Georgia 247 employees on-call covering 5,667 lane miles 12,450 tons of salt 20,000 tons of gravel One brine production unit 130,000 gallons of brine 15 brine storage units 13 RWIS sensors 130 snow removal dump truck units District has two shifts; 123 employees per shift
Media Contact: Katie Strickland (678) 725-9632
*All numbers for statewide and districts are approximate.

District 2 East Central Georgia 274 employees on call covering 7,730 lane miles 3,200 tons of salt 6,400 tons of gravel 57 snow removal dump truck units (Combo Units) 3 plow units only 8 salt spreader units 1 brine production unit and one batch unit. 3 brine storage units 6 RWIS sensors District has two shifts; 137 employees per shift
Media contact: Kyle Collins (478) 553-3361
District 3 West Central Georgia 342 employees on-call covering 3,600 lane miles 4,893 tons of salt 2,902 tons of gravel 3 brine production units and 1 batch unit 9 RWIS sensors 73 snow removal dump truck units District has two shifts; 169 employees per shift
Media contact: Penny Brooks (706) 741-3439
District 4 Southwest Georgia 295 employees on call covering 8,363 lane miles 438 tons of salt 723 tons of gravel 13 snow removal dump truck units 6 brine storage units 1 RWIS sensor District 4 support D7 with 70 additional employees
Media contact: Nita Birmingham (229) 326-5435

District 5 Southeast Georgia 264 employees on-call covering 6,882 lane miles 655 tons of salt 3,551 tons of gravel 16 snow removal dump truck units Three RWIS sensors District 5 supports D7 crews with 62 additional employees
Media contact: Jill Nagel (912) 424-6643
District 6 Northwest Georgia 220 employees on call covering 5,117 lane miles 11,436 tons of salt 11,458 tons of gravel 64 snow removal dump truck units 14 F250 equipped with snow plows and spreaders Two brine production units. 26 brine storage units 290,000 gallons of brine 13 RWIS sensors District has two shifts; 112 employees per shift
Media contact: Mohamed Arafa (770) 359-9523
District 7 metro Atlanta 281 employees on-call covering approximately 3,000 lane miles 20,000 tons of salt 24,000 tons of gravel 55 snow removal dump truck units Two brine production units 19 brine storage units 11 RWIS sensors District has two shifts; 140 employees per shift
Media contact: Natalie Dale (404) 631-1814 and Tori Brown (404) 381-7346

2019
Winter Weather Guide
What You Should Know
www.dot.ga.gov

Georgia DOT Priorities
Achieve & Maintain "Passable" Road Conditions
Keeping roads safe for emergency vehicles is a priority.
Focus crews first on interstates; then state routes from the most heavily traveled to the least traveled.
Maintain all lanes passable unless storm severity dictates otherwise. Focus on Trouble Spots
Pretreat bridges and overpasses prior to snow and ice conditions and monitor consistently.
Key Stakeholder Coordination Share pertinent information with local governments
and other state agencies. Update the public on road conditions and road closures
as needed.

Winter Weather Response Teams
Teams with different expertise respond to a variety of winter related situations. GDOT identifies these as Brine Distribution, Interstate, Special Response and Traffic Strike teams:
Brine - Spread brine on impacted highways. (Brine is a mixture of salt and water. It is used as a preventative treatment and is intended to limit the bonding of the ice to the pavement).
Interstate - Treat and remove snow from interstate roadways using 3-5 tandem dump trucks (trucks with snow plows and material spreaders attached). Up to 18 crews.
Special Response - Respond to "hot spots" outside of treatment areas where interstate teams will focus.
Traffic Strike - Consist of Georgia State Patrol; Motor Carrier Compliance Division; Georgia DOT Highway Emergency Response Operator; Department of Natural Resources; Georgia Forestry Commission and Georgia Department of Defense. Personnel focus on clearing incidents on I-285; I-75, I-85, I-20, Ga 400 and Ga 166 (inside the Perimeter).

Materials and Equipment
Pretreat Materials Brine to pretreat Atlanta metro and north
Georgia interstates to prevent ice build-up on roadways.
10 tankers dispense brine along metro Atlanta interstates up to 24 hrs. before winter weather hits.
31 brine 5,000-gallon tankers available statewide to apply brine treatment to interstates and critical routes.
Forest Park facility houses an automated brine production unit and 199,500-gallon storage tank.
Districts 1, 2, 3 and 6 have additional brine plants and units Equipment
Six multi-lane tow plows clear two lanes in one pass, remove snow and ice from interstates and multi-lane state routes. Dispatched around the state as needed.
Single and/or double-axle dump trucks with front attached snowplows push snow and ice from roadways.
Single and/or double-axle dump trucks with rear attached hopper spreaders or tailgate spreaders distribute salt/gravel mixture and brine to de-ice the roads.
Plows and spreaders for approx. 40 F-250 pick-ups, allows multi-use of equipment year round.
Tractor-type motor graders for moving snow.

Dealing with Black Ice
When wet roads freeze, the threat of black ice is possible. (Black ice is a thin, often invisible sheet of ice that forms on the roadway, especially on bridges and overpasses and low lying areas. It can form at any time when temperatures drop below freezing and there is any form of moisture, from sprinklers, run-off or precipitation on the roadway).
GDOT Highway Emergency Response Operators (HEROs) in metro Atlanta and Coordinated Highway & Maintenance Program (CHAMP) operators across the state will monitor their routes for potential freezing. They will notify 511 dispatchers and routine maintenance crews will address these issues.
Roadway Weather Information System (RWIS) helps identify potential timeframes for black ice to enhance monitoring of these roadways.
Monitor black ice areas that were problematic during prior winter weather events and address it as soon as it occurs.

Winter Weather Technology
Roadway Weather Information System roadway sensors in 56 locations across the state improve ability to predict weather conditions on roads such as ice, temperature, precipitation and wind.
Expanded network of RWIS capabilities include Georgia airports; and real-time capability to view all surrounding states'weather conditions (AL, TN, NC, SC, North FL and MS).
Additional cameras will improve NaviGAtor Intelligent System capability to monitor and deploy resources.
Enhanced GIS equipment tracking to identify locations being treated.
Web-based program to monitor incidents. Snow Removal Equipment Operators equipped with communication devices to share real-time conditions with their Area and District Storm Operations Center.

Focus On Safety
Beware of black ice (especially on bridges and overpasses) and watch for fallen trees or power lines.
Avoid driving unless absolutely necessary or postpone until daylight when road conditions, such as black ice, may be more visible.
Do not pass a GDOT dump truck spreading salt/ gravel; gravel may kick up and could break car windows. Follow at least 100 feet behind these vehicles.
Be aware of GDOT and other work crews who clear snow, ice and debris or downed power lines from interstates and state routes.
SLOW DOWN to at least half of the normal speed limit and drive in low gear.
Treat a non-working traffic signal as a four-way stop.