The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) is monitoring and treating roads in east-central Georgia as icy conditions begin to develop. As of 7 p.m. Saturday, most state routes remain passable, but the department warns that black ice is likely to form overnight.
According to the Georgia DOT, road temperatures stayed above freezing during the day on Saturday. However, forecasts predict air temperatures will drop below 20 degrees across much of the district overnight. This increase in cold weather raises the risk that water on roadways will freeze.
Crews from Georgia DOT are working through the night to treat affected routes. They are focusing on plowing and salting interstates and high-priority state roads. The department stated its goal is “to keep the outside, right-hand lane passable on routes with two lanes in each direction.” For roads with three or more lanes each way, they aim “to keep two outside lanes passable in each direction.”
Drivers are being advised to avoid non-essential travel overnight into Sunday morning due to the likelihood of icy conditions and possible road closures in several areas across the district.
Georgia DOT crews continue working around the clock, with all district maintenance staff assigned to 12-hour shifts until conditions improve.
For real-time updates on road conditions or to report incidents, drivers can visit https://511ga.org/.
