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Florida Winter Thanksgiving Travel: Even Salted I-10 Can Freeze
Tallahassee, FL – Florida drivers preparing to travel Interstate 10, Interstate 75 and Interstate 95 this Thanksgiving may not associate the Sunshine State with icy highways. But when freezing weather
By Dylan Reeves · 2026-11-11T19:15:43.102Z
Tallahassee, FL – Florida drivers preparing to travel Interstate 10, Interstate 75 and Interstate 95 this Thanksgiving may not associate the Sunshine State with icy highways. But when freezing weather reaches northern Florida, bridges and elevated roadways can become dangerously slick, even after winter maintenance crews apply treatments.
According to winter maintenance guidance from transportation agencies, traditional road salt becomes less effective as pavement temperatures fall, particularly near 20 degrees Fahrenheit and below. However, Florida's more immediate winter driving concern is often ice forming on elevated surfaces when temperatures approach freezing.
And that's where a dangerous assumption about road safety can catch drivers off guard.
Why Even Treated Florida Highways Can Freeze Road salt isn't magic. It lowers water's freezing point, helping melt ice and reduce freezing under suitable conditions.
But road treatments have limitations. Traditional salt works more slowly in extreme cold, while moisture can still freeze on untreated surfaces or where treatments have been diluted or displaced.
For motorists traveling through Jacksonville in Duval County, Tallahassee in Leon County, Pensacola in Escambia County and Lake City in Columbia County, that distinction matters.
Major routes including I 10, I 75 and I 95 contain bridges and elevated sections that can cool faster than surrounding pavement.
During occasional northern Florida freezes, these surfaces may become icy while nearby roads remain wet.
Thanksgiving Travelers Should Know the Risks Thanksgiving falls Thursday, Nov. 26, bringing holiday traffic onto Florida's major interstate corridors connecting Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Pensacola and neighboring states.
If freezing temperatures and moisture coincide during the holiday travel period, bridges and overpasses could become slippery, particularly overnight and shortly before sunrise.
Florida's Department of Transportation monitors roadway conditions and coordinates responses during winter weather events, but treatments cannot guarantee ice free pavement.
Before departing, travelers should check National Weather Service forecasts and Florida 511 for current highway conditions and travel alerts.
The bottom line: A treated highway is not necessarily an ice free highway. Drivers encountering freezing weather should reduce speed, increase following distances and use particular caution on bridges and elevated ramps.