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Winter Storms Test NTTA Operations Severe winter storms in February challenged NTTA operations to provide you with the safest driving conditions possible. Even as the sustained below-freezing temperatures and snow storms posed unprecedented hurdles, NTTA crews worked tirelessly to respond to the icy conditions and strived to keep NTTA roads open and passable.
NTTA Command Center staff kept a close eye on road conditions and deployed resources where they were needed most while also answering more than 2,100 customer phone calls. Our maintenance crews were on 24/7 alert for two weeks, working 12-hour shifts putting in a total of nearly 16,000 man hours. As they patrolled NTTA’s roads, they spread more than 13,000 tons of sand and ice melting compound over 704 lane miles to help keep roads passable. Meanwhile, our Roadway Customer Service employees teamed up with Department of Public Safety officers to help more than 472 stranded motorists over the course of the winter event.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during these unusual weather conditions. We currently are reviewing our procedures, communications and other activities so that we continue to improve our performance. We thank you for your feedback and would like to take this opportunity to answer some of the questions you raised.
When did NTTA start sanding the roads?
NTTA activated its snow and ice response plan Monday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m., and crews began working around the clock to monitor and treat road surfaces. While NTTA’s command center escalated its monitoring through pavement sensors, overhead cameras and customer calls, our maintenance crews began treating priority areas with magnesium chloride (also known as Melt Down 20) to prevent ice from forming and then started sanding roads to help build traction. This plan remained in effect through Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m., after the second ice storm passed.
Why does NTTA use magnesium chloride instead of salt?
Magnesium chloride is a more environmentally friendly de-icing crystal used to prevent ice from forming and adhering to the pavement so it can be broken up easily. It is less corrosive for cars and structures, less offensive to plants and landscaping, and better for the water supply. Magnesium chloride works down to about 8 degrees Fahrenheit. NTTA prepares for the typical winter weather North Texas experiences, which responds best to magnesium chloride. The extreme winter conditions seen in early February were a rare occurrence.
How often were the roads treated?
Our snow and ice plan includes a series of designated routes to tackle every road which allows maintenance crews to sand and treat all elevated structures in one hour and the entire NTTA System in less than two. We keep 68 sanding trucks moving along 56 routes and supplement their work with 29 dually pickup trucks with sand spreaders to treat icy spots and problem areas as they arise. If a sanding truck is a few minutes ahead or behind a motorist or if crews are re-filling their spreader, it is possible to drive an NTTA roadway without observing a sand truck. At any given time, there were 97 sanding vehicles out on NTTA roads to treat icy spots.
Did NTTA have enough sand and supplies to last?
NTTA stores 11 material stockpiles strategically throughout the System to improve response times. Containing both magnesium chloride and sand mixtures, our supplies were sufficient to cover the first ice event and were replenished daily as the winter storm persisted. We use approximately 100 pounds of magnesium chloride per lane mile, and the sand, which is gray in color, provides an abrasive, traction component. During the course of the back-to-back winter storms, NTTA used nearly 13,000 tons of magnnesium chloride and sand.
Does the NTTA have snow plows like the Texas Department of Transportation?
NTTA does not own snowplows, and unlike our partners at TxDOT, we cannot access them through statewide reallocation. Following the heavy snowfall on Friday, Feb. 4, NTTA looked into several options and secured construction road graders, also called maintainers, to plow the roads. Our maintenance team also fabricated a plow using dually pickup trucks equipped with sand spreaders to plow ramps and interchanges.
How did you tell customers about the road conditions?
At a customer’s suggestion, we added special updates to www.NTTA.org starting Wednesday, Feb. 2. These posts, which were updated two or three times a day, highlighted road conditions, explained steps taken, listed pavement temperatures, and included other helpful information. These updates will be incorporated into our standard protocol for weather events.
When will you begin cleaning up the roads?
Cleanup operations, which began Friday, Feb. 11, typically are complete in a week to 10 days. Because the North Texas area was hit with a series of storms, NTTA crews have more sand to remove than they would after a normal winter event. Crews will make several passes over each road until the sand and debris is cleared, working during off-peak travel times to minimize the impact on traffic. We are unable to recycle the sand because it is ground down too fine for future use. The NTTA is working to return tollways to their normal condition as quickly as possible and to prepare for any future weather events.
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