The Glenshane Pass and other routes could be "impassable" in icy conditions on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, motorists have been warned amid ongoing industrial action by road workers.
The Met Office has issued a warning covering all of Northern Ireland about snow for both Thursday and Friday, with freezing temperatures predicted to last until the weekend.
At the same time, workers in Northern Ireland's Roads Service are taking part in industrial action that will limit the salting of the road network.
Read more: Northern Ireland snow latest as Met Office update yellow weather warning
While a recent strike has ended, a form of work to rule remains ongoing and the Department for Infrastructure at Stormont has said this will disrupt the winter service.
Foyle MLAs Gary Middleton and Sinead McLaughlin are urging motorists to be wary - particularly when it comes to elevated routes such as the Glenshane linking Derry and Belfast.
SDLP MLA Ms McLaughlin told Belfast Live: “People need to keep an eye on the weather conditions and drive under extreme caution. There will be a reduction in salting throughout Northern Ireland and the Glenshane Road is particularly treacherous.
"It’s very high up and it’s normally one of the first places you can see deep snow. People need to be careful if proper salting is not taking place."
DUP MLA Mr Middleton, also speaking to Belfast Live, said: "I would expect that the Glenshane Road will be treated, but if the weather turns out to be as bad as predicted then people should only travel when strictly necessary.
"That’s going to require flexibility from employers. People’s safety should be a priority. We don’t want to be dealing with fatalities. People should keep an eye on conditions, and keep an eye on the forecast. Only travel if it’s safe.
“What we don’t want people doing is travelling and finding that the main arterial routes, such as the Glenshane, are impassable.”
The Met Office is warning that some vehicles and passengers could be stranded while some rural communities could "become cut off".
The forecasters also say power cuts and mobile phone outages are possible during the 'yellow warning' period.
A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure said: "The Department is fully committed to resolving this dispute and are continuing to engage with the Industrial Trade Unions. Our offer to review the bonus scheme remains on the table. In relation to the delivery of our winter service, we continue to prioritise the areas at greatest risk, such as high ground, and have targeted the available resources to deliver an overnight gritting programme.
"The Department has external snow clearance contractors available to treat areas such as the Glenshane Pass if we need to do so. We again appeal to the Industrial Trade Unions to consider giving a derogation for winter service for the next few days. All road users should exercise extra caution when travelling especially on untreated roads.”
The trade unions, meanwhile, are set to co-ordinate strike action involving more than 400 road, rivers, forestry and ferry workers as part of a dispute over civil service pay.
The GMB and Unite unions, in a joint statement issued on Wednesday, said dates for strikes will be announced in the coming days - with the action due to take place alongside the ongoing action by Roads Service workers.
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