GDOT crews preparing for winter weather with dry runs expected in coming months

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - It’s September, it’s warm, and Fall officially starts on Monday, but Georgia transportation leaders are already preparing for winter weather.

Georgia Department of Transportation crews recently did a dry run in metro Atlanta, going over routes, salt barn locations, and checking equipment.

A GDOT representative said that we should expect to see winter weather prep runs throughout District Five in late October or early November.

“District Five is comprised of 26 counties in Southeast Georgia. This diverse area encompasses the entire coastal region, which includes Savannah, Brunswick, and the Golden Isles; and extends across to Waycross and Homerville up to McRae, Vidalia, Statesboro and Sylvania,” according to GDOT’s District Map.

There are 300 employees on-call, 200 tons of salt, more than 4,100 tons of gravel, and six pieces of snow removal equipment for the district, according to their preparedness report.

They said they have more than 51,400 tons of salt on hand and 401 snow removal dump truck units (one plow, one spreader, and one dump truck being one truck unit) across the state according to their “Winter Weather Guide.”

The test runs will include reviewing the district’s winter plan for response times. They’ll also inspect their equipment and fix their smaller equipment, like chainsaws, if needed.

These trial tests happen every single year, according to GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry.

This year though, they want to make sure they are prepared in the larger city metros because of employee turnover.

“That’s what it takes. Continue training, continue preparations so that when bad things happen, we can respond.”

WTOC has reached out to the City of Savannah and Chatham County representatives who are trying to find updated data about their prep work. We also reached out to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport officials.