While calcium magnesium acetate and grit would be deployed, NZTA Otago-Southland journey manager Nicole Felts said road users would need to do their part too.
"People living in the central and lower South Island will have been experiencing the chilly mornings that signal winter is close.
"It’s also a reminder that winter roading conditions will be increasingly common."
Miss Felts said many road users had already had a taste of what was to come, with black ice — a transparent ice layer where the road surface shows through — reported at sites in Otago and Canterbury, alongside ice and fog warnings in the Mackenzie District and the Lindis Valley.
"NZTA’s contractors will be out around the clock on the state highways through the winter months, monitoring the conditions and taking preemptive action to keep the roads safe and accessible.
"We may close the roads to clear snow and ice and enable any stranded vehicles to be removed, or we may impose other restrictions such as temporary speed limits for peoples’ safety.
"If we’ve spread grit, we ask people to drive on it where possible, and not in a wheel track — this makes the grit more effective."
When driving or planning to drive in winter conditions, NZTA recommended checking the conditions first, adjusting speeds to suit conditions, using headlights, increasing follow distances and being prepared in
case of delays. — Allied Media
