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Hours before the freeze, road crews sprayed a special solution on overpasses to keep ice from forming.

But in many places that solution didn’t work.

Trying to keep the roads passable is a no-win situation and TxDOT put a significant emphasis on trying to prevent ice.

Using magnesium chloride solution to try and act as a de-icer for the road surface.

Crews treated all of the elevated road structures on all of the major highways, a process that took a full work day.

But just eight hours after the application, many bridges and onramps had to be closed anyway because of the slick conditions.

TxDOT officials contend despite that, the process worked for the most part.

KHOU-TV

TxDOT tried a new formula for the icy roads in Texas.

“We are going to take a look at temperature or a combination of the dry and the wet and some places being wet with a large amount of precipitation. We’ll be looking at a lot of things,” said TxDOT’s Norm Wiggington.

TxDOT said that the solution is supposed to be effective for up to two days in ideal conditions         and that it was extensively tested in parts of the state more prone to winter conditions.

It’s not cheap. The magnesium chloride solution used yesterday cost $3.50 a gallon for a total of about a $122,000. That’s just for the solution.

The man-hour cost will be much higher. They are working strictly to sand icy areas.

But the bottom line for TxDOT?

“This morning people were able to get to work. They were able to get on the freeways and get where they were going,” said Wigginton.