TIFTON – A convoy of equipment and Southwest Georgia Department of Transportation personnel left Tifton Thursday morning to assist in the statewide response to forecasted winter weather in metro Atlanta and north Georgia.
“We currently deployed 165 personnel, 29 plow trucks and 15 ride vehicles to support winter weather operations. It’s a statewide response. We all work for GDOT and we all respond statewide as needed,” Southwest Georgia District Engineer Scott Chambers said.
Also on Thursday:

• The National Weather Service in Peachtree City issued a Winter Storm Warning for north Georgia, metro Atlanta and parts of central Georgia from 7 a.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Saturday due to the predicted mix of multiple types of wintry precipitation. Total snow and sleet accumulations of up to three inches and ice accumulation of up to one-third of an inch are possible. Travel conditions will begin to deteriorate with the onset of wintry precipitation Friday morning, and road conditions could change quickly.
• Gov. Brian P. Kemp declared a statewide State of Emergency, effective immediately through Tuesday, Jan. 14, in preparation for the approaching winter storm.
• Georgia DOT announced the closure of two express lanes facilities. The I-75 Northwest Corridor Express Lanes northwest of metro Atlanta and the I-75 South Metro Express Lanes south of metro Atlanta will close at 11:30 pm Thursday. They will be treated overnight in order to help avoid any accumulation of ice or snow. Georgia DOT will hold the lanes closed until it is confirmed they are safe to reopen. Highway Emergency Response Operators (HEROs) will help conduct sweeps to make that call.

In a press release Thursday afternoon, Georgia DOT said its crews began active brine operations Wednesday night across metro Atlanta and north Georgia, with application of brine continuing in areas expected to be the most impacted by snow accumulation, sleet and freezing rain. Crews are working 12-hour shifts and are prioritizing treating interstates, state routes, bridges and overpasses north and south of and along Interstate 20. Some Southwest Georgia DOT personnel arrived in Atlanta on Wednesday to operate brine trucks and supplement existing manpower.
Georgia DOT regularly treats roadways, bridges and overpasses with brine, a mixture of salt and water which is used as a preventative treatment to limit the bonding of ice to the pavement. A total of 31 brine tankers, each with a 5,000 gallon capacity, are available statewide for deployment to apply brine treatment to interstates, state routes and other critical routes. More than 20,000 lane miles of roadway will have been treated at least once by early Friday, with ongoing monitoring of roadways and the potential for the application of additional brine, salt and gravel as conditions warrant.
Motorists are asked to plan now to limit travel as much as possible in affected areas of the state from Friday morning through midday Saturday. Avoid driving unless necessary or wait until daylight for better visibility of road conditions. If you must be on the road, please drive with extreme caution and give Georgia DOT crews room and space to help ensure they can safely do their jobs. Please be aware of the brine trucks and know they must travel 40 mph to properly apply the treatment. Motorists are also advised not to pass a Georgia DOT truck spreading salt or gravel, as gravel may kick up and damage vehicles which are following too closely. Please pay attention and stay back at least 100 feet.
Additionally, with the forecast of potential ice accumulation across the region, there is possibility for fallen trees and downed power lines. If you come across either, do not cross them and report them to your local authorities or 911. Turn around and take an alternative route. Above all, do not try to clear tree limbs or other debris from roads as live power lines might be tangled in debris and pose a deadly hazard. Please report these instances and wait for Georgia DOT and Georgia Power crews to handle downed power lines and clear debris.
For real-time traffic assistance or information, or to report an issue on Georgia state roads, contact 511GA by dialing 511 hands-free on your mobile phone, download the 511GA app or visit 511GA.org. For a list of facts and materials related to Georgia DOT’s winter weather preparedness including fact sheets, photos and video, please visit https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/pages/WinterWeather.aspx.