Posted: Fri, 8 Jan 2010 12:50 PM - 11,136 Readers

By: Jessica Vess

The Arctic blast dropped temperatures in Central Texas into the low 20’s Friday morning. Wind chills made it feel like the single digits.

As the temperatures lingered in the freezing range, sprinkler systems left on overnight created icy trouble for Austin drivers. In West Austin at Exposition Boulevard and Lake Austin Boulevard, ice covered the road for several hundred yards.

There isn’t moisture in the air causing the ice. Instead, crews with the Texas Department of Transportation say it appear sprinkler systems left on overnight are causing the ice build up.

Near campus at 24th and San Gabriel tires kept spinning as drivers tried getting through icy conditions there.

Around 5:00 a.m. on Friday, Austin police officers had to block traffic on some lane at the North bound frontage road of Highway 183 near Metric Boulevard because of ice buildup from a sprinkler there as well. It caused one driver to spin out and onto the curb before crews could lay down a sand mixture to deice the road; creating better traction for drivers.

Across town people are dealing with the cold in different ways.

“It's all right, you know. (I’ve) got to get up in the morning to get to work. Ain't no(sic) money flying out of the sky. But it's all right. It's all right,” said Kevin Johnson of Austin.

 Downtown groups of people bundled together waiting for the bus.

“Trying to stay inside but we got (sic) some stuff we have to do which is unavoidable, but hopefully we can stay inside,” said Genia Garcia of Austin.

At Barton Springs pool a select few braved the water for a morning swim.

“It's cold, definitely. It's supposed to be warm, but it just never gets warm in these types of temperatures,” said swimmer Ricardo Maldonado, “(but) I try to make it here every morning.”

The cold, freezing temperatures will continue through the weekend.

TX-DOT is urging any resident or businesses with a sprinkler system to shut it off during the freeze. Anyone responsible for creating icy road hazards will have to pay the state for any expense it takes to deice the roads.

*  Story Contributed by: Jessica Vess