Mapped: Snowy roads in Nashville to be plowed this year

The Nashville Department of Transportation added 600 miles of roads to its snow removal routes ahead of this winter season, and workers may get a big test this weekend. 

Weather forecasters warned Thursday that snow and ice levels could exceed dangerous thresholds by Sunday. 

The city tackles roads through its list of primary, secondary and post-secondary snow removal routes, now accessible in a map. 

Expanded routes will ensure the “response is faster and plows reach deeper” into neighborhoods, Mayor Freddie O’Connell said in a statement last year. 

The city also purchased five new plow trucks and stockpiled about 9,000 tons of salt, 100,000 gallons of brine solution and 40,000 gallons of calcium chloride. 

About 1,300 people are killed and more than 110,000 people are injured in vehicle crashes on snowy, slushy or icy roads every year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Those deaths are not counted among the annual weather-related fatalities recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  

The worst accidents tend to occur on major roads and highways, but minor bumps and fender benders are common on neighborhood streets and intersections. 

Most crashes occur after snowfall has ended with degraded road conditions or during the initial period of snow and ice accumulation, according to a 2024 study supported by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. 

Snow forecasts may change heading into the weekend. 

On Thursday, the National Weather Service forecasted snow levels upwards of six inches for parts of Middle Tennessee, with a 50% chance of a high snowfall in the northern half of Nashville. The southern half of Nashville, below Interstate 40, has at least a 30% chance of snow totals over six inches. 

The city faces a higher probability of receiving at least a quarter inch of ice, which is enough to bring down trees and knock out power lines. A half inch of ice is enough to weigh down power lines — the equivalent of six inches of wet snow. 

Across Middle Tennessee, Franklin, Murfreesboro and Mt. Juliet have also mapped snow and ice plow routes. 

Brentwood and Hendersonville do not have maps. The cities prioritize bridges, roads with steep grades, multi-way stop intersections and routes for first responders and hospitals.