NEWS
TxDOT preps area highways for winter storms
WICHITA FALLS DISTRICT – All nine counties (Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cooke, Montague, Throckmorton Wichita, Wilbarger, and Young) in the Wichita Falls District spent today preparing for the winter storm predicted to hit Tuesday night into Wednesday. The Wichita District takes care of 6,500 lane miles of roadways in our 9 counties.
TxDOT crews pretreated bridges and overpasses with brine. Some areas utilized two large tanker trucks to spread brine quickly. These tankers also delivered extra brine to maintenance yards. Snowplows and V-Box with spreaders were hooked up and tested on our fleet of 79 snowplows for the district.
In the Wichita Falls area, the main lanes of I-44, US 287, and Kell Fwy (US 82) were pretreated with brine. The bridges and overpasses were treated as well. Other lesser volume highways had bridges and overpasses treated.
In the Gainesville area the main lanes of I-35 were pretreated with brine. The bridges and overpasses were included as usual. Other lesser volume highways had bridges and overpasses treated.
Pretreating the main lanes of our highest volume freeways is done when a storm system is expected to dump large amounts of snow in a relatively short amount of time. TxDOT employs this strategy only on Tier one roadways.
Tuesday, crews will finish up pretreatment of Tier 1 and 2 highways as well as moving to Tier 3 and 4 roadways. More brine will be made to keep storage units full as we put down more.
We will also be sending half of our crew home near lunchtime to rest. This half crew will return at midnight to start a 12-hour shift around the clock at all of our offices.
Tuesday will also be a good day for motorists to plan ahead for their Wednesday travel plans.
- Check your oil, antifreeze, and windshield wiper blades. Top off items if needed.
- Double-check your tire pressure and your spare tire.
- Fill up your gas tank hours before the storm hits.
- Pack your snow brush, ice melt, snow shovel, tool kit.
- Don’t forget warm boots, socks, gloves, and coat.
- Is your phone charged? Pack your cables.
Motorists can obtain travel information by visiting drivetexas.org or calling (800) 452-9292 Twitter for the Wichita Falls District is also available for breaking conditions. @TxDOTWF
The Bowie City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on May 27 in council chambers.
Items on the agenda include the following: City manager’s report discussing the master plan grant, repairs to Rock and Pillar and status of the substation transformer; consent agenda of minutes and bills; speed limit ordinance update second reading; Bowie 4B Sales Tax Corporation request to approve expenditures on park enhancement project to include additional concrete parking at Pelham Park and installation of covered pickleball courts southwest of the Bowie knife and public comments.
Bowie City Councilors heard complaints about the recently approved food truck ordinance during last week’s meeting and were updated on damage from recent flash flooding.
Mayor Gaylynn Burris also presented a proclamation for Emergency Medical Services Week, as members of the local EMS team were presented with the proclamation.
In his city manager’s report, Bert Cunningham said there were numerous problems with excessive rainfall during the last few weeks, with the most significant at Rock and Pillar where the rusted washed out culverts have been deteriorating for several years. Portions of Rock have collapsed near that intersection closing part of the street.
Another less traveled street had a sinkhole which the city crews have repaired, and two crews have been out trying to fill potholes and make street repairs as they can.
Cunningham told the council they have to figure out a way to pay for the new culverts on Rock and Pillar, and he has been meeting with a pair of engineering companies to get some preliminary estimates that are close to $1,000,000. He also has been talking with the city’s financial advisor to discuss options for financing repairs.
Read the full story in the May 22 Bowie News.
Photo – Mayor Gaylynn Burris presented a proclamation from the City of Bowie for National EMS Recognition Week. Several members of the Bowie EMS team were present: Daniel Fogle, Enrique Roman, Fire Chief Doug Page, Chad Gerlach, Marco Sandoval and Luke Waltersheid. (Courtesy photo)
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