A look at the technology that tells MnDOT how to treat Minnesota's roads

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Department of Transportation had plows out pre-treating the roads ahead of Tuesday's snowfall.

But how do they make those crucial decisions -- whether to use salt or brine, and which roads to treat and how?

WCCO's Pauleen Le stepped into one of their plows to see firsthand the technology and the thought process behind making those decisions.

During Minnesota winters, Maggie Faris enjoys the challenge of making sure the roads are safe to drive.

"I mean that's the part I look forward to all year," Faris said. "It's an adventure every single time."

She's one of the more than 1,600 MnDOT plow drivers across the state working when the snow falls to keep Minnesota's more than 30,000 lane miles of highways and interstates clean.

"That's what we do all day, drive back and forth," Faris said.

The bridges, overpasses and on and off ramps will get more attention as they tend to get slick and ice up first. In addition to stocking up on salt and brine, to do the job most effectively, drivers rely on technology.

There are more than 800 MnDOT plows across the state, with roughly 200 in the metro alone. Each one is outfitted with a support system that collects real-time data of what's happening outside.

"We mark what the road conditions are, like right now I'd probably put it's wet, and then it usually asks for the weather conditions as well and I would say snow," Faris said.

It also takes in the road and air temperatures, as well as wind speeds, before calculating what would work best to treat the roads as drivers plow --  whether that's salt or brine or a mix of both.

"All of that comes into the equation when it comes to how we do our job," Anne Meyer of MnDOT said.

She also said the technology is a big help especially with Minnesota's ever-changing winter conditions.

"if it's more snow than less snow, if the timing is different, all of those can have an impact on how well we do and when we do things," she said.

Working smarter to make sure we're all prepared for what happens next.

"It's for you, it's to clear off the lines that you can't even see so that you can be safe out there," Faris said.

Drivers can do their part to help out the plows, too, by keeping their distance. MnDOT recommends staying 200 feet behind plows, roughly 10 car lengths.