DALLAS – It was still slow going on Dallas roads Tuesday, but drivers encountered much better conditions than Monday.
By late morning, Dallas police reported working far fewer accidents than in the same time period yesterday. Still, there were a dozen injury wrecks on city streets, 16 on the freeways, and 29 minor accidents.
HD Chopper 8 was up in the air all morning to get a good look at roads. There were plenty of slick spots causing all kinds of problems. A back-up in Mesquite had semi-trucks at a standstill. On I-635 at Sceyene, some cars stopped for others to maneuver around ice.
A semi was stuck on the overpass at westbound Interstate 20 and two men, one of them in shorts, made the dangerous decision to get out of the truck as cars tried to get around them.
A sand truck soon arrived to help get the big rig moving again. Also on I-20 at Houston School Road, traffic was backed up for about five miles at one point.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has had all hands on deck since Sunday. Crews worked to spread de-icing chemicals and a salt mixture on roadways. When the temperature climbs above freezing, vehicles with blades will push slush off the roads - beginning with bridges and overpasses - to prevent the melted ice from freezing over again when the mercury drops Tuesday night.
With snow expected to come in to the area overnight Wednesday, TxDOT officials say they have to be strategic.
"We have to wait for a little bit of a warmer temps, because right now it's frozen so hard, it's like a rock," said Val Lopez, public information officer for TxDOT's Fort Worth District. "So we focus, during this time, on providing a little extra traction with sand and salt, and we try to de-ice it with our salt-based de-icers."
Since roads are already icy, crews are no longer using brine to pre-treat ahead of the anticipated snow storm.
TxDOT says biggest challenge now is the scale of the operation, with 3,000 lane miles in Tarrant County alone. Meanwhile, drivers are warned to keep an eye out for ice and drive slowly as the winter weather event continues.
News 8's Monica Hernandez reported from Fort Worth
