Snow and ice on roads: What to know about Texas driving conditions along Red River
Ice and snow has been reported on highways across North Texas, including in the northern most parts of the region, according to a map of conditions from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
But a spokesperson for the Dallas district, which includes Denton county, says conditions have improved some from earlier in the winter storm and roads are largely clear.
“Denton County got a little bit more snow, but we’ve been using our plows and our motor graders to remove the snow from the lanes of travel,” said TxDOT Dallas Spokesperson Tony Hartzel. “There’s still snow on the sides of the road, in the medians and such, but the lanes are clear and traffic’s moving.”
The district also includes Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Kaufman, Navarro, Rockwall counties.
Roads in the counties are mostly wet, but there may be a few icy spots, particularly on bridges and overpasses, Hartzel said. The focus Thursday is treating bridges, overpasses, interchanges and ramps with a sand and salt mixture or more brine in anticipation of them refreezing. Elevated structures refreeze first, he said.
“So far this morning and into the afternoon, traffic has been pretty good,” Hartzel said. “There have been a few isolated incidents, but nothing substantial, and traffic seems to be moving.”
A spokesperson Wichita Falls districts was not immediately available to comment on road conditions. The Wichita Falls District spans up to the Texas-Oklahoma border, covering Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cooke, Montague, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger and Young counties.
The Fort Worth District includes Erath, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise counties.
A spokesperson for the Fort Worth district said roads are slushy as of Thursday afternoon, including in Wise and Jack counties, which make up the northern most portion of the district.
“If you have to travel during this time, remember to drive to the conditions,” Spokesperson Michael Peters said in an email. “Slow down and allow plenty of room to stop.”
TxDOT is continuing to treat the roads. This is a 24/7 operation until the icy conditions are over.
TxDOT crews from South Texas are assisting with storm response in North Texas, according to TxDOT.
The state’s map of road conditions on highways is available on drivetexas.org.
Travel will be most impacted Thursday night into Friday morning, with improvements expected in the Dallas-Fort metroplex into the late morning and midday, according to the National Weather Service Fort Worth/Dallas. In areas along the Red River, conditions aren’t expected to improve until early to mid afternoon.
NWS is cautioning that water on roads will refreeze Friday night into Saturday morning, creating hazardous road conditions.
Staff Writer Shambhavi Rimal contributed to this report.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 3:32 PM.
