HUTCHINSON, Kan. — In anticipation of wintry precipitation starting Friday – going into a holiday weekend – Kansas Department of Transportation crews in south-central Kansas are pretreating some highways.
According to Tim Potter with KDOT, crews are focusing on elevated areas, including bridges, where the surface tends to freeze faster.
Pretreatment varies within the region because of varied forecasts. Around Lyons, crews are pretreating with a mix of brine and beet juice. Beet juice is sticky, so it holds the brine to the pavement longer and at lower temperatures. The beet juice looks brown and it can be washed off vehicles.
As you go farther southeast in south-central Kansas, pretreatment might not occur because only rain is expected so far in that area. Rain can wash away pretreatment material.
Even with pretreatment, motorists should be prepared for possible slick conditions and should follow the safety basics: buckle up, slow down, stay alert and don’t venture out if it’s not necessary. KDOT asks that motorists stay well behind KDOT trucks plowing snow or putting down treatment materials.
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