CDOT is try something new to help make your drive safer during snow storms.

Salt, and lots of it.

Crews started preparing its latest anti-icing tool in mixers Thursday.

This is the first season that CDOT crews will use salt brine to prevent ice from forming on the state's roads.

"We're trying to be more proactive with how we go after the weather, instead of waiting for the snow to accumulate and then pushing it off," Mike O'Neill, CDOT Deputy Dir. of Maintenance said. "Brining allows us to use our time better.”

Nearly a quarter of brine is made with salt. It's applied when temperatures begin to freeze at least eight hours before a snow storm.

Salt brine
Salt brine

Crews will still use magnesium chloride when needed.

Salt brine will be sprayed in a liquid form which can penetrate cracks in the road.

“Every storm is different," CDOT’S Deputy Superintendent, John Lorme said "The patrol leaders and the patrol supervisors and the area supervisors are experts on the ground, so they apply the product as they see fit at their particular location.”

Denver Public Works crews say they will continue using an ice based agent called "Ice Slicer" on city streets.

DPW crews also plan to use magnesium chloride on larger city streets when needed.

Both the salt brine and magnesium chloride will corrode metal, which could lead to rusting on vehicles. They recommend getting your vehicle to the car wash as soon as your able.

CDOT crews aren't calling the use of salt brine a game changer, but they did say it costs a lot less than magnesium chloride.

They also told 9NEWS that several other states are using salt brine with great success.