Low temperatures could cause black ice to form on roads overnight

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Road and Bridge and Columbia Public Work have crews treating roads due to freezing drizzle and light snow.

Crews are warning the slush forming on the roads in Boone County and Columbia could refreeze overnight.

"If the roads haven't had time to dry after they've been treated, you have to watch out for some slick spots or refreeze," said Greg Edington, director of Boone County Road and Bridge. "Even though there's chemical down, you could have the slush freeze up whatever is left on the road."

Edington said higher temperatures last week had helped prevent roads from being worse Monday.

"We’re still working with some residual grown warmth and I think that helped out a lot, but you know, we’re counting our days until that is not true," he said.

He said crews will go back throughout the night and check to see if some areas that could pose problems for drivers need further treatment. Those include things like hills and intersections.

Ashlyn Sherman with Columbia Public Works said the colder temperatures makes the salt crews put down on the roads less effective.

"Especially with extreme cold temperatures, it definitely impacts the effectiveness of road treatments. Salt is still effective but once pavement temperatures hit around 15 degrees it does just get less effective," she said.

Sherman said, for that reason, ice could form on the roads overnight.

"With the extreme cold temperatures tonight, the potential for black ice situations to form is a real possibility, so we want drivers to just be aware of that," she said.

Edington said if the winter weather moves out of the area fairly quickly Monday he expects roads to be in similar condition Tuesday.

You can the latest information on road conditions in Columbia at this link.