Tarrant County to begin treating roads, bridges for approaching winter storm
Tarrant County road and bridge preparations will begin Thursday morning ahead of Winter Storm Fern that’s expected to cover streets with a wintry mix of ice, sleet and snow this weekend.
Precinct 4, which covers northwest Tarrant County, will be pretreating about 45 miles of roads and bridges with a brine solution to help prevent ice accumulation. The solution is a mixture of salt and water that lowers the freezing point of water, effectively preventing snow and ice from bonding to surfaces like roads. This makes plowing easier and creates a barrier before the storm hits.
Precinct 4 Chief of Staff Tracey Knight said the major thoroughfares and known problem areas will be prioritized. The problem areas such as bridges, curves, and inclines in Precinct 2, will also be prepped with the brine solution, Commissioner Alisa Simmons said.
Precinct 4 and Precinct 2 tend to the majority of the county’s roads and bridges.
Preparations in Precinct 4 began at 7 a.m. Thursday morning, but Simmons said her road crews are waiting until the rain stops early Saturday morning to ensure the brine does not wash away.
“We ask that drivers on the road at that hour please give the vehicles space as they will only be going 35-40 miles per hour and spraying a saltwater solution on the asphalt,” Simmons said. “I definitely recommend staying off the roads during snow/icy weather.”
Once the winter storm hits, road crews will apply a sand/salt mixture to both roads and bridges to improve traction, Knight said. If the road conditions require, Knight said Precinct 4 will have equipment staged at strategic geographic locations to remove excess ice or snow.
After the storm hits, county roads in Precinct 2 will be inspected by road crews with critical areas as the priority, Simmons said. They will be sanded or if there is accumulation, it will be removed.
As of Wednesday evening, the county has not indicated any change in normal business operations. If the weather forces a change in operations, that information would be accessible on the county website and social media channels.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is also treating roads and bridges across North Texas.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 5:37 PM.