![]() ![]() Ferrer said Public Works staff are preparing to remain under emergency operations until Thursday of next week. ![]() Public Works also is assisting TxDOT with road closures by using some of its trucks to block ramps and bridges. The sandy substance is spread on roads to build traction where there might be ice. The city's go-to compound to use on roadways is dolomite, which is basically crushed limestone. Crews will continue to de-ice the roads 'around the clock to keep roadways open for essential. Since then, crews have been monitoring the city's streets and sidewalks around the clock, Public Works spokeswoman Elizabeth Ferrer said. TxDOT's Austin office is reporting icy conditions all across the roads in the City. The city activated emergency operations for Public Works on Wednesday. The city of Austin's Public Works Department on Friday had crew members taking the temperature of the roads hourly, using thermometers similar to the no-contact infrared devices that have become all too familiar during the coronavirus pandemic. “It takes a sheet of ice and turns it into Swiss cheese,” Bishop said.ĭrive safely: You shouldn't be driving right now, but if you must: Here's how to drive on Austin's icy roads The granules of the chemical lower the freezing temperature of water, Bishop said. Magnesium chloride is TxDOT's go-to tool for mitigating and preventing ice buildup on roads. "They are going out when they hear things from police." "We have people patrolling looking for trouble spots," Bishop said. Those crews – about 150 employees – were spreading about 300,000 pounds of sand, salt and magnesium chloride on state highways. On Friday afternoon, TxDOT had 18 crews responding to current weather conditions in the Austin district, according to spokesman Chris Bishop. The Texas Department of Transportation, which is managing ice mitigation and closures for most of the area's highways, has about 500 crew members and contractors working around the clock to respond to icy conditions, according to the agency. In addition to the issues on local roads, KVUE confirmed that more than 70 flights have been canceled out of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as of 8 a.m. View Gallery: Aerial images show empty Austin MoPac due to icy road closures ![]()
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