As snow turns to dangerous ice, roads close and crews spread sand

City and state officials have begun spreading sand and brine on the roadways to make travel safer and to keep dangerous ice levels as low as possible after a winter storm dusted Columbus in snow overnight.

Snow continued to fall through the early morning and ended shortly after sunrise Wednesday. The roads were covered in a thin white blanket of snow that obscured lane markings and devolved into a slippery, icy hazard.

The National Weather Service warned that roads would become “extremely slick and hazardous” as snow melts and refreezes, especially along bridges, which freeze before roadways do.

Columbus Police Maj. Charles Kennedy urged drivers in town to stay put.

“The best thing we can tell people right now is ‘Don’t drive until it heats up.’” he said. “Stay off the roads if it all possible.”

“They’re hitting them as quick as we’re calling them in,” he said. “We've got sand on the streets and major intersections. If you don’t need to be on the road, you need to stay home and allow us to get out here and clear things up.”

Several roads were reported closed, with more reports coming in. So far:

The City of Phenix City announced that JR Allen Parkway and I-165 were closed due to ice. “All other roads are iced over and no one should be on the roads unless it is an emergency. There are numerous vehicles stranded, and public safety officials are working to reach them all,” the city said.

Kennedy said Victory Drive coming from Fort Benning as well as U.S. 80 coming from Talbot County were closed. He also said several service streets were “just impossible” to drive on.

The 13th Street bridge was still open as of 10 a.m.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley also said public works crews were putting sand on a number of bridges through the city and other crews were on standby with heavy equipment. The city originally had Metra buses running in the morning but pulled them back after only an hour as the road conditions became too hazardous, he said.

The Georgia Department of Transportation sent work crews out to spray brine, but is still asking drivers to stay off the roads until the situation is more clear.

“We're fighting against snowfall and below freezing temps. Be patient with us as we're working around the clock to treat the roads,” the department wrote on Twitter.

“It’s going to be treacherous driving for the next several days. It started last night, and the weather is not going to rise enough,” Kennedy said. “It’s going to freeze back again tonight, and tomorrow morning we'll be right back in the same boat we are in today.”

This story was originally published January 17, 2018 at 9:44 AM with the headline "As snow turns to dangerous ice, roads close and crews spread sand."