Cobb County DOT ready for snow, ice across metro Atlanta
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Metro Atlanta is bracing for snow and ice. Georgia officials, along with individual counties and cities across the state, are getting prepared.
Cobb County officials held a meeting on Wednesday afternoon to make sure they would have everything covered before the storm moves in.
"We have our crews right now preparing all of our equipment so we can get on the roads early ahead of the storm," said JD Lorens, Deputy Director of Cobb County DOT.
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The Cobb County Department of Transportation says it is ready for the winter storm expected to hit metro Atlanta this weekend.
Cobb County DOT crews are gearing up to treat and clear the 430 miles of roadways in the county. They'll start pretreating the roads on Thursday with a brine mixture.
"We've upgraded our brine facility to essentially produce as much brine as we need. It's an unlimited amount," said Lorens.
When the storm rolls in, they'll switch to a salt and sand material.
They've been preparing for this for quite a while. They did an "inclement weather run through" a couple of months ago.
"Making sure all the equipment is working, crews drive the route so they're familiar with those. We make sure all the preventative maintenance on the equipment has been completed," said Lorens.
County officials urge residents to avoid travel during the storm if possible. This is both for safety reasons and to ensure DOT crews have unobstructed access as they treat the roads.
"We ask that people give them plenty of room so they can go out and do their job," said Lorens.
Crews will work 12-hour shifts. In addition to the hard work, technology will help.
The Cobb County Department of Transportation says it is ready for the winter storm expected to hit metro Atlanta this weekend.
"Leveraging technology is the key to success here in Cobb. Not only through our AVL and GPS systems do we know where every truck is, but we also know the amount of the material they're spreading, and what they have on their trucks, so we can maximize and optimize the route and be very efficient," said Lorens.
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The Source: This is an original report by FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Denise Dillon.