WACO, Texas – With winter weather on its way to Central Texas, the Texas Department of Transportation has been preparing.

TxDOT will start pretreating the roads with brine on Monday.

Brine is a mixture of salt and water that keeps ice and snow from sticking to the roads.

As needed, they will de-ice the roads by using magnesium chloride which mitigates and prevents ice build up on the roads.

“As the event kind of picks up or is forecasted to pick up, we’ll be patrolling the roadways and as needed, we will be performing deicing operations,” TxDOT spokesperson for the Waco district Jake smith said.

The operations section for the Waco district monitors the forecast and determines the best plan of action for treatment. They serve eight counties including McLennan, Bell, Bosque, Falls, Limestone, Hill, Coryell, and Hamilton.

“Our maintenance crews coordinate to set a plan together to ensure that all the material that we use and the crews that are working are used in the best way possible to keep the traveling public safe,” Smith said.

One of the things they prioritize is treating bridges and overpasses because they freeze first.

“Structures are always going to freeze first, so you always, always want to be careful when you’re traveling around or along overpasses and bridges,” Smith said. “Definitely take your time on those if you have to travel on them.”

They also focus on the major roadways.

“Interstates, state highways, and then problem areas as well, and that can include turns or shaded areas, but definitely want to hit those priorities first,” Smith said.

Texas says if you must get on the road, some things to remember are do not use cruise control, plan extra time in your commute, fill up your car with gas, and increase the distance between you and other vehicles.

Also if you skid, don’t slam on the breaks or oversteer.

You can monitor the road conditions here.