
SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — With the tri-county region receiving upward of 5 inches or more of snow in some areas, North Carolina Department of Transportation is working overtime to clear area roadways.
READ MORE: Winter weather: Closures, postponements, scheduling changes
Division three maintenance engineer Battle Whitley said the local department — covering a six-county region — is operating 45 plows and spreaders and 14 graders to get the roads cleared after Tuesday’s snowfall. However, before the downpour began, a light sleet had fallen in the afternoon, coating the roads beforehand.
“We have been clearing since around 7 p.m. last night,” Whitley said Wednesday. “We don’t have enough equipment to be everywhere at every minute. … It takes a long time to get through every inch of roadway.”
He added there are around 15,000 lane miles and the department has a priority system in place that focuses on primary roadways first. This includes interstates, such as I-40 and I-140, as well as U.S. or N.C. highways. Then they go to major secondary roadways with high volumes of traffic and work down to other streets.
Roughly 119 employees are working the snowstorm event in the division’s Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender, Duplin, Sampson, and Onslow counties. They have put down more than 200,000 gallons of brine since the weekend to help with the plow and so far have used 1,400 tons of salt to make the brine solution — “with plenty more to go,” Whitley said. The brine creates a barrier between the pavement and accumulation to make it easier to melt and plow.
“We should have 10 more plows coming down from the western division to help,” he added.
Crews are working expeditiously with the sun out, as it helps facilitate melting the accumulation. However, temperatures remain below freezing, 30 degrees, and will drop even further this evening.
“With a little bit of sunshine, things are starting to look a little better,” Whitley said, “but we have a long ways to go. And when the sun goes down, it’s going to refreeze and be an issue.”
He said the salt brine is most effective at 25 degrees and higher, but takes longer to work with falling temps.
“We do as much as we can as fast as we can,” he said, adding the plows work best to clear roadways when the accumulation is slush.
Once it freezes, it requires multiple passthroughs, with the plow scraping off layers inch-by-inch. Whitley said crews are applying as much salt as they can ahead of sundown Wednesday.
But once nightfall arrives, “it’s going to be a touch-and-go situation,” he said. “Even temperatures reaching 37 tomorrow will be a big help.”
Already many roadways have been closed across the region. Wilmington Police Department shuttered a portion of Rankin Street between 10th and 14th streets, due to it being iced-over.
MLK Parkway between Kerr Avenue and Davis Street will also close by 4 p.m., due to ice, according to WPD.
The WPD put out a notice earlier Wednesday that drivers may not see the lane markers and stop bars due to ice and snow. Many streets are doused in hard-packed snow, too, making it more dangerous.
Similar messages have been sent out by other area law enforcement, including Brunswick and New Hanover counties sheriff’s offices. Whitley is echoing the refrain.
“The best thing that can happen for us right now is: Everybody, stay home, enjoy the snow, do a little sledding, so we can effectively do our jobs,” he said.
For motorists who absolutely must be on the road to travel to and from work, Whitley asked they follow the cardinal rule: “slow down.” Black ice poses the most danger and drivers should keep in mind bridges also freeze quickly, as cold air circulates both underneath and above to accelerate the process.
On Tuesday evening, bridges in Holden, Ocean Isle and Sunset beaches closed due to icy conditions. Holden Beach reopened by Wednesday but could close again if conditions deteriorate; only one lane was open on Odell Williamson Bridge in Ocean Isle on Wednesday morning.
The Town of Oak Island noted NCDOT was performing additional plowing, scraping and salting operations on the G.V. Barbee and Swain’s Cut bridges. Neither have closed during the snow event and could still refreeze, even with additional preparations.
The governor’s office noted the State Highway Patrol addressed 560 vehicle crashes, though no weather-related fatalities, overnight across the state. Any drivers on roadways during icy conditions should consider precautions, the office prompted:
- Reduce your speed and allow significant following distance. Operating a vehicle well below the speed limit will help drivers’ ability to maintain control of their vehicle on slick roadways.
- Decrease speed prior to approaching a bridge or overpass, which often freeze first, and avoid braking once directly on a bridge.
- If you do begin to slide, take your foot off the gas, gradually turn the steering wheel in the direction of the slide, and DO NOT push the brakes as that will cause further loss of control of your vehicle.
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