INDOT preparing for this weekend's snow storm

LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. -- With snow and ice in the forecast, there's no doubt this weekend's storm could impact drivers. 

INDOT says they're ready for this weekend's storms.

Adam Parkhouse, media relations director for INDOT Northwest, said preparing for winter storms like this one this weekend is a round the clock job. 

Parkhouse said INDOT crews are filling up salt barns, pretreating roads, and even giving drivers additional training. 

INDOT wants drivers to prepare too. INDOT said drivers should leave an extra 15 to 30 minutes early, slow down, and increase distances between you and the car in front of you. 

“The snow is coming down hard, coming down fast and you know these guys are working around the clock and as hard as they work, sometimes, you can only do so much so we also need the public to do their part, slow down, increase distances between you and the car in front of you and just stay safe out there," said Parkhouse. 

ABC57 sat shot gun with Jason Schlink, highway technician for INDOT. He's say behind the wheel of this truck for three years. 

“We keep the roads clear and safe for drivers," said Schlink. "Patch potholes. In the winter, we’re mostly plowing snow.”

Schlink said prepping for a storm like this starts early. 

“We’re making sure our trucks are good to go," said Schlink. "There’s usually a crew that comes out and sprays all the roads with a saltwater mixture. It’ll kind of burn off that first layer of salt.”

Schlink says the real work starts once the snow and ice hit. .

"It’s all hands on deck," said Schlink. 

He says truck drop anywhere from 50 to 200 pounds of salt per mile and crews plow long stretches of state roads for 12 hours at a time. 

“It’s a little nerve wracking," said Schlink. 

Schlink and Parkhouse said the goal is to clean the roads and help drivers get from point A to point B. 

“This weather really impacts you in a number of ways," said Parkhouse. "We just want everybody to be safe. We’re out here doing our part were trying to get those roads clear, make sure there’s no ice, no snow”