The Danville Public Works Department crews will pretreat the major thoroughfares, bridges, and overpasses on Friday because of a winter storm that is forecast to bring a mixed bag of precipitation to the city this weekend.

The National Weather Service in Blacksburg says the storm will produce a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain from midnight Friday through late Saturday morning before changing over to mainly rain. Trace amounts of snow, sleet, and ice are expected, with heavier accumulations staying to the north and west of the city.

“Danville will be in that transition zone (from wintry precipitation to mainly rain),” meteorologist Amanda Sava said Thursday morning. Computer models have been consistent for this weather event, she added.

Brine, a mixture of water and salt, will be used to pretreat the major thoroughfares, bridges, and overpasses. The water in the brine evaporates, leaving the salt behind on the road. The salt keeps snow and sleet from bonding on the road surface, and it helps to prevent ice from forming.

Residential streets are not pretreated.

Public Works crews will be on duty overnight Friday and Saturday morning, monitoring street conditions and spreading sand and salt in areas as needed.