Texas Department of Transportation workers spent Sunday morning spraying deicer on highways across Austin in anticipation of Tuesday’s potential winter storm. The department pre-treats the highways days in advance and then waits for the temperature to drop to apply more treatment,

Chris Bishop,TxDOT Public Information Office said preparation is both an art and a science.

"The science is that the temperature has to be below 32 degrees or whatever is coming down has to be frozen and it sticks and freezes on impact but the art part of it was when it freezes but the art part of it is knowing when to treat it and knowing that you get the most benefit from what you are putting down on to the road,” said Bishop.

Drivers can see the deicer as six dark lines on the roadways it helps break-down ice that can form on trouble spots on pavement.

TxDOT is prepared to have workers rotate 12 hour shifts and monitor the weather to help treat the roads. Bishop said the public should head caution as they hit the roads.

"It may be that instead of doing 60, 70 miles per hour you can only do 25 on a highway but the goal is to let people get where they are going as safely as possible driver have to do their part, we are going to do ours," Bishop said.

Capital Metro is also monitoring the weather.

The department will determine whether Tuesday’s transit schedules will be altered.

Central Texas weather Jan. 15-16

Reporting is provided as part of Community Impact Newspaper’s partnership with Fox 7 News