DFW Road Conditions: Conditions worsen on slick and snowy roads

DALLAS - Rain, sleet, and snow are now causing problems on the roadways.

FOX 4 Traffic reporter Chip Waggoner described the accumulation on some roadways as "slushy in nature." He said the biggest problem is that people are going too fast.

"People get to those sections of the roadways and their lulled into a false sense of security and they end up going to fast, hit an ice patch, and end up with a yard sale," he said.

On his traffic map, you can also clearly see the areas that have gotten more snow and sleet than rain.

Meteorologist Evan Andrews said temperatures are still hovering above the freezing mark for now. But that will change after sunset for most people. That’s when heavier snow will start accumulating and roads will be much worse.

RELATED: Dallas winter storm warning, snow timing and how much to expect

Slick Collin County Roads

Parts of Collin County and surrounding areas really got hit with the bullseye from the storm.

Snow started early, leaving roads slushy for most of the day.

Crews were out treating the roads, trying to keep motorists from slipping and sliding.

Still, the deteriorating road conditions proved treacherous for some. A FOX 4 crew saw several cars spinning out. One ended up on the shoulder.

Tow trucks were seen along 75 in Collin County during Thursday’s winter weather as drivers tried to tackle the snow and sleet. 

In Plano, two cars crashed, causing both to slide off the shoulder. 

A few exits north, a black truck had to be loaded away after it was found along the freeway. 

Off the highway, a McKinney neighborhood looked like a winter wonderland.

Colleen McGee and Jacob Merrill were enjoying their snow day when their four-wheeler wouldn’t start back up. 

"It’s kind weird for Texas to get snow, but I like it," said McGee. "It’s fun to act like a kid once again."

Meanwhile, power trucks were staged in Collin County, preparing for any potential outages. 

Back on the roads, Eric Salizar headed from McKinney to his overnight shift at a Dallas hospital. 

"Luckily, the hospital I’m at, they offer free room and board if it gets really bad," he said.

The snow blanketed neighborhoods in the city of Frisco.

As we drove north through the city of Allen, we began to see more snow falling. Still, the roads felt slushier and more difficult to maneuver at times.

At the Buc-ee's in the city of Melissa, Briana Smith and her dog, Riley, stopped for a breather. He said the five-hour drive from Tulsa, Oklahoma was a nailbiter. Her final destination is Austin.

"Slow. Everybody is moving really slow. I saw an 18-wheeler jackknifed, people sliding all over the place, lots of people who just slid," he said. "I think we're kind of too scared to keep moving, so they got out of their car just stranded. I've seen people pull over to stop to stay safe. It's super dangerous conditions."

Shawn Spaid is headed to Sherman for work. He stopped at the gas station to put auto socks on his rear tires. He says they act like snow chains for traction. Spaid is taking the inclement weather in stride.

"I've been doing this 18 years, so I'm used to it," he said.

Tim Goellner seems used to it too. He's got a 4x4 Jeep he uses for off-roading. He drove around the area to see if any stranded motorists needed help.

Treacherous Roads in Denton County

Staying north, Denton County started seeing rain transition over into snow around Thursday evening.

That's led to some treacherous conditions on roadways.

Denton County saw a good amount of snow Thursday morning. By the afternoon, rain moved in, and the roads were slushy.

The TxDOT Fort Worth District says brine pretreatment is part of that reason. 

"The amount of slush you see on the roadway is partially given to that because it lowers that freezing point," said Val Lopez with TxDOT. And you'd much rather have slush on the highway than, let's say, ice bonding onto the roadway. You don't want that." 

Drivers like Gabe White are not taking any chances on the road. Even in his large truck with four-wheel drive, he said he was cautious on his drive from McKinney to Denton. 

"I drove from McKinney, and I did 20 miles per hour from my house until I got to the highway. And then I did about 40," he said.

By Thursday evening, the precipitation transitioned from rain to sleet and snow.

The transition is a concern for TxDOT operations. 

"Our crews are going to monitor that very carefully," Lopez said. "We're going to be very aggressive with the way we treat it. If there's an opportunity to remove it, plow it off, that's what we'll do." 

The Fort Worth District of TxDOT covers eight counties. More than 300 employees are working 24/7 during this winter weather event. 

Lopez says they felt prepared for the first half of the winter weather and are gearing up for the second round overnight, but they need drivers to do their part too. 

"You have to drive to the conditions that are present. You have to slow down. You have to show especially, especially, be cautious on those interchanges and those bridges," Lopez warned. "They accumulate ice quicker and faster, and ice over quicker than the main lanes." 

About 50 additional crews came up from the southern region of the state. Those additional crews who came to help are focusing on the I-30 and 360 corridors. 

Traffic Troubles at Noon

If you can stay off the road in North Texas, you definitely should. More and more accidents like these are popping up.

Dangerous Driving in The Colony

The Colony Police Department posted on social media shortly before noon that there are dangerous driving conditions in the area of 7000 Windhaven Parkway, with multiple vehicles stranded on the roadways.

DFW Traffic Cameras

Here's a quick look at the conditions on some of the roads in DFW as of 9 a.m.

RELATED: Tower cameras across Dallas-Fort Worth

Dallas High Five

Big snowflakes were falling on FOX 4 Reporter Shannon Murray as she stood on the Dallas High Five Interchange just after 9:30 a.m. However, the bridges weren't too bad.

In the past, the High Five has been really dangerous because it's so tall. People would just slip and slide all the way down.

But at least on Thursday morning, TxDOT's efforts to pretreat and monitor the conditions seemed to be working.

Irving 18-Wheeler Crash

In Irving, a bad crash is blocking most of the eastbound Highway 114 transition to Highway 183.

FOX 4 Traffic Reporter Chip Waggoner said a truck was going too fast and lost control. It ended up crashing and almost plummeting off the higher level.

If it wasn't for just one tire, it would have ended up dangling over the side or falling onto the grassy underpass area.

It's a reminder of how easy it is to lose control on these wet and slick roadways.

Drive With Caution

Even where the roads are mostly wet, drivers should still be careful.

For example, one of the first major crashes in DFW on Thursday morning happened on a wet highway.

"There are not a lot of folks out and about right now in that location so it's not a huge time delay. But I feel like it serves as a reminder to us all that even though the temperatures are above freezing right now you can still end up skidding out on these wet surfaces," Chip said.

HOV and Express Lanes Closed

Most HOV and Express Lanes are closed today and tomorrow in anticipation of the bad weather.

Thankfully, there are not as many people out on the roads today so it hasn't had much of an impact.

For the latest updates, follow Traffic Reporter Chip Waggoner on X or FOX 4 Weather on Facebook.