(ABC 6 News) – The potential for a mix of freezing rain and snow is becoming more likely Friday night into Saturday, and with it comes concerns over road conditions.

This could be a busier weekend on the roads because many of us are still wrapping up our Christmas shopping.

We have been fairly lucky so far this fall and winter in the winter weather department, with most major storms steering clear of the area. However, crews are gearing up for the potential of an icy mess this weekend across southeastern Minnesota.

“Friday night, we’ll probably be out pretreating roads anticipating the rain, freezing rain that’s coming Saturday morning, and then from there, we don’t mess around with freezing rain because it can get you off guard, so it’s best to be prepared and ready out there, so we’ll be ready Saturday morning,” said Derrick Crews, Austin Truck Station Supervisor for MnDOT.

For those that are still planning to hit the roads this weekend, the main concern is how long it will take road treatment to lead to clear and iceless roads.

“It can probably be just a matter of hours, you know, potentially, depending on you know if we got out early. The one thing to is sometimes the traffic does help once we get some uh you know salt or brine down applied on the road because their vehicle wheels track through that and carry it,” said Mike Dougherty, MnDOT Spokesperson.

While you may not see a plow out on your drive, they certainly will be out there. If you do encounter a snowplow ahead of you, truck drivers have one main suggestion to ensure that they can do their job, and you stay safe.

“I would just recommend staying behind the plow truck, they have their normal routes, they’re eventually gonna get out of your way, but just take your time and be patient with the plow drivers.” said Crews.

At the end of the day, they are out to help you get where you need to go safely, and doing so a little bit slower is the best way to keep yourself safe when encountering any slick spots.

“If you are going under a bridge, over a bridge, those are areas that there could potentially be some slick spots, or if you are exiting on a ramp you need to slow down, there could be some ice there and obviously that can uh you know challenge your…your ability to slow down and stop when you need to,” said Dougherty.