HOUSTON – The Texas Department of Transportation continues urging drivers to stay home if possible. Road conditions in the six-county Houston District area remain icy. There is patchy ice reported on most state roadways in the Houston District and a second wave of wintry weather is forecasted for tonight. Only travel if necessary and avoid hazardous road conditions during this unprecedented winter weather event. TxDOT is continually updating this list of icy road locations: http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/roadclosures/#iceonroadway
TxDOT crews have been treating roadways since Friday morning in preparation for the inclement weather. The emergency operations center continues to monitor roadways and de-icing crews are proactively treating areas that may ice and responding to areas with reported ice. This is a continuous operation and crews will continue to work to melt ice on the freeway system to the best of their ability.
The area is expected to receive more freezing rain this evening resulting in deteriorating driving conditions Tuesday night. Many road surfaces are currently at subfreezing temperatures so any precipitation is likely to lead to increased ice accumulation until temperatures warm up enough for road surfaces to reach above freezing temperatures.
Brine solution along with aggregate materials like sand and a melting mixture are being used on roads to treat and prevent ice accumulation. The Houston area freeway system is massive and, while crews will continue work to treat roadways, there will still likely be ice on roads.
While TxDOT and its crews do their best to keep the roadways safe, it’s up to drivers to do their part and take precautions when driving in hazardous winter conditions. Drivers are reminded to allow work crews plenty of room to operate and slow down when approaching them. TxDOT encourages drivers to plan ahead by checking weather forecasts and visiting www.DriveTexas.org to see conditions and closures.
Winter weather creates unpredictable and dangerous driving conditions. If travel is necessary, drivers are encouraged to use extreme caution and follow the winter travel safety tips below.
- It is state law to treat any nonfunctioning traffic lights as a 4-way stop.
- If you must drive, reduce your speed and increase your following distance.
- If you must drive, anticipate travel delays. Plan ahead and allow plenty of extra time to reach your destination.
- Remember that everyone on the road is dealing with the same conditions. Be courteous to other drivers so everyone can safety get where they’re going.
- Carry an emergency kit (with food, water, blanket, etc.) in your vehicle, just in case.
- It’s important to remember that conditions on roadways can change rapidly and even with proactive measures the fast-changing severe Texas weather can still result in some ice accumulating.