MDOT SHA preps for impending weekend storm

As Maryland braces for its first snowfall of the new year, state roads and highways are being pretreated with a salt brine, and people and equipment are being staged to target areas most likely to be affected by the wintery precipitation. “Those are the little squiggly lines you see in the roadway,” said Maryland Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration Spokesman Charles Gischlar in describing the salt brining process. He called Friday’s preparations “standard operating procedure.” The brine is a mix of 22% salt, 78% water, meant to dry to the roads to prevent the initial coating of ice or snow from sticking. “It gives us a leg up when the actual precipitation starts,” Gischlar said. MDOT SHA has 2700 pieces of equipment and people ready to keep roads clear, Gischlar said. Current forecasts have the storm dropping between 2 and 4 inches of snow across Central Maryland. The storm, being dubbed a “Southern Slider” by WMAR 2 News Meteorologists, will likely affect the Washington D.C. area and the lower Eastern Shore the most, so that is where the state is focusing its efforts.