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Tennessee Winter Thanksgiving Travel: Even Salted I-40 Can Freeze
Nashville, TN – Tennessee drivers preparing to travel Interstate 40, Interstate 65 and Interstate 75 this Thanksgiving may be putting too much faith in something they expect to protect them during win
By Claire Benton · 2026-11-11T19:13:34.957Z
Nashville, TN – Tennessee drivers preparing to travel Interstate 40, Interstate 65 and Interstate 75 this Thanksgiving may be putting too much faith in something they expect to protect them during winter weather: road salt. Even freshly treated highways can become dangerously icy when temperatures plunge, creating a hidden hazard for motorists traveling between the state's largest cities and through its mountainous eastern counties.
According to winter maintenance guidance from transportation agencies, traditional road salt becomes increasingly less effective as pavement temperatures approach 20 degrees Fahrenheit, with its ability to melt ice declining further as temperatures fall into the teens and single digits.
And that's where a common winter driving assumption can become dangerous.
Why Even Salted Tennessee Highways Can Freeze Road salt isn't magic. It lowers the freezing point of water, helping melt ice and reduce freezing under suitable conditions.
However, as pavement temperatures drop, the melting process slows considerably. Around 20 degrees, conventional salt works much more slowly than it does near freezing. Below 15 degrees, salt alone may struggle to melt ice quickly enough to improve traction.
For motorists traveling through Nashville in Davidson County, Memphis in Shelby County, Knoxville in Knox County and Chattanooga in Hamilton County, that limitation matters.
Major routes including I 40, I 65, I 75, I 24 and I 81 can remain slippery despite treatment, particularly on bridges, overpasses, elevated ramps and mountain stretches in eastern Tennessee.
Thanksgiving Travel Could Increase the Danger Thanksgiving falls Thursday, Nov. 26, bringing holiday travelers onto Tennessee's major interstate corridors connecting Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga and neighboring states.
If snow, freezing rain or rapidly falling temperatures develop during the holiday travel period, even treated highways could become dangerously slick.
The risk can increase overnight and early in the morning, when falling pavement temperatures allow moisture to refreeze.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation uses multiple winter maintenance strategies, but no treatment guarantees ice free pavement under every condition.
Before departing, drivers should check National Weather Service forecasts and Tennessee's SmartWay traffic information system for updated highway conditions.
The bottom line: A salted interstate is not necessarily a safe interstate. Motorists should reduce speed, increase following distances and remain alert for icy patches even when pavement appears clear.