GDOT activates winter weather response as dangerous ice storm approaches

ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is shifting to "all hands on deck" as a significant winter storm threatens to blanket North and Central Georgia with dangerous ice. Officials are urging motorists to stay off the roads, warning that ice can be nearly impossible to manage even with aggressive pretreatment efforts.

A different beast: Battling ice in the South

Big picture view:

Unlike snow, which can be plowed, ice presents a unique challenge for southern infrastructure. To combat this, GDOT crews will apply brine—a salt and water mixture—to interstates and state routes starting Friday night. This pretreatment lowers the freezing point of water to prevent ice from bonding to the pavement.

GDOT has focused its initial efforts on:

• Interstates: High-volume traffic corridors across North Georgia.
• Critical Routes: State routes near hospitals and urgent care centers.
• Priority Regions: North Georgia counties and routes along the I-20 corridor.

Strategic readiness and resources

Dig deeper:

Drawing on lessons learned from the 2014 winter storm that left thousands of drivers stranded, GDOT has vastly expanded its material stockpiles.

• Brine Storage: ~1,950,000 Gallons
• Brine Production: 50,000–60,000 Gallons per Hour
• Employees: Over 1,900 on call
• Equipment: 439 snow removal dump truck units

Motorist assistance and safety

What's next:

Starting Saturday morning, HERO (Highway Emergency Response Operators) units in metro Atlanta and CHAMP (Coordinated Highway Assistance & Maintenance Program) units in rural Georgia will switch to 24-hour patrols. Their primary mission will be identifying crashes and assisting stranded drivers.

Despite these preparations, transportation leaders emphasize that road treatment only goes so far. 

"Do not mistake our preparedness as an invitation for you to be on the road," one official warned, noting that compliance with stay-at-home orders is critical for public safety.