In 2011, the state and the city of Atlanta were criticized by some for not being properly prepared for a vicious winter storm that paralyzed the metro area for days.
That’s not going to happen this time around, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The organization says it has 40 tons of gravel and 30 tons of rock salt on hand, should severe snow strike between now and spring.
There’s also a few new tools to battle the conditions, like a liquid brine mixture that prevents icing and a new vehicle.
“The Towplow, when a lever is pulled, literally swings out to one side and will clear the lane adjacent to the truck, where the truck is driving. So we can clean two lanes at one time,” says GDOT spokesman Mark McKinnon.
An audio version of this story.
GDOT drivers have been practicing since August and staffing levels are appropriate.
“We do have employees that are on stand-by. They’re not actually assigned to a shift at this point. But they know that if the weather were to change and we do believe that we’re going to get something that they could be called in,” says McKinnon.
As for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, GDOT says all construction work on interstates and major routes is suspended from November 27 through December 1.
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