PORTLAND, Ore. - The temperatures are well below freezing and the forecast calls for possible snow flurries Thursday, with more on the way in higher elevations beginning Sunday.

Around the region, road crews are gearing up to keep motorists moving, especially on hills, bridges and icy overpasses. But the way Oregon and Washington approach traction measures is different.

In Washington, road crews lay down a layer of rock salt on roadways. Salt, a corrosive, melts and inhibits ice formation on roadways, keeping cars and trucks in contact with the pavement in all but the worst snowstorms.

But in Oregon, no salt is used. Oregon Department of Transportation officials feel salt is too corrosive, and can damage both vehicles and infrastructure, such as bridges and roadways.

Oregon road crews use a combination of a magnesium chloride chemical spray laid down before the weather hits and crushed rock spread out on roadways if the snow or ice piles up.

The spreading of the crushed rock is commonly known as sanding.

Washington officials admit that the salt they use is a corrosive, and recommend drivers wash their cars after a snow or ice event where crews have used salt on roadways.

Oregon officials say the salt is bad for cars, bridges and the environment in general, and the negatives outweigh the positives.

However, the magnesium chloride spray only works best when it's applied to a dry roadway before a weather event, or else it just washes away if applied too late. Snowstorms have been known to hit with little warning in Portland.

Additionally, the sanding material has to be recollected after a weather event. If left on roadways, the material becomes a danger to traction, especially for bicycles and motorcycles.

The cleanup takes time, fuel and personnel hours to complete. If another weather event takes place, the cycle begins again.

Officials with highway departments in both states will be watching the weather closely as temperatures stay cool and moisture moves into the area.