NCDOT Crews in Raleigh, Durham and Rest of Division 5 Get Ready for Winter Storm


Raleigh – Crews from NCDOT Division 5, which includes Wake and Durham counties, plus as Franklin, Granville, Warren, Vance and Person counties, spent today prepping the roads, their equipment and themselves for what is expected to be a long night and very busy Thursday. With the biggest snowfall of the winter expected to start later tonight, bringing perhaps 5 to 6 inches or even more to the area, crews across Wake and Durham counties and north to the Virginia line spent the day putting down a salt brine solution on interstates and primary routes. The intent is to prevent winter precipitation from adhering to the roadway surface, making it easier to clear with snowplows and graders.

Crews got help from Mother Nature today as sunshine and temperatures in the 40’s helped melt ice along many roads and provided a dry surface for the brining material. In Wake County, about 80 DOT employees and 50 trucks worked to cover more than 1,400 lane miles of interstate and primary road lanes. As that work wraps up, the crews and trucks stand by ready for the storm.

Durham County also brined its major highways, including the bridges, overpasses and ramps where slick conditions usually show up first. More than three dozen workers were brought in this afternoon to make sure trucks, supplies and other equipment were ready. Similar plans are in effect for the Division’s other counties, where crews are planning to be working through the night.

Maintenance yards have also spent the last few days replenishing salt supplies and should have more than enough for the upcoming event. In Wake County alone, about 800 tons of new salt was expected to be on hand by this evening.

Once snow hits across the region, crews will follow the same winter weather policy used across the state. The initial focus for plowing and salting is on interstates and other primary divided four-lane highways, ensuring they are clear before crews move onto the next group of roads. They get that priority treatment because these are the roads that have the highest traffic volume, provide connectivity not only within a region but also between different parts of the state, and they are key routes for the shipping of needed goods such as food and fuel. Then it is on to other U.S. and N.C. highways, followed by secondary roadways, which are the lower volume roads and in some cases neighborhood roads.

Because in North Carolina the DOT maintains a majority of the roads, clearing a significant snowfall is not an easy task. Wake is the state’s largest county in terms of state-maintained lane miles at more than 5,710. Durham County has close to 1,700 lane miles.

Because of the expected deteriorating conditions overnight and into Thursday, the DOT, law enforcement and Governor McCrory are recommending people stay off the roads unless it is absolutely necessary. That will give the DOT better conditions to clear the roads, and also keeps drivers out of potentially dangerous situations. If you do venture out on the roads, drive cautiously, allow for extra time to reach your destination, and keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you.

NCDOT offers these other safety tips for driving in winter weather:

  • Approach bridges and overpasses them with extreme caution and do not apply your brakes while on a bridge unless necessary;
  • If you begin to slide, take your foot off the gas and turn the steering wheel in the direction of the slide. Do not apply the brakes as that will cause further loss of control of the car;
  • Come to a complete stop or yield the right of way when approaching an intersection in case any vehicles coming from other directions lose control of their vehicles while trying to stop.
  • If you have a cellular phone, take it with you. You can contact the Highway Patrol statewide by calling *HP (*47) or call law enforcement by dialing 911. But please don’t call 911 to check on road conditions. That line must be kept open for emergencies.

For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone and bookmark it to save for future use. 

You can also get emergency information from the N.C. Department of Public Safety at http://readync.org, and download the ReadyNC app to help you prepare for everything from road conditions to severe storms on a daily basis. It is available for free in the AppStore for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.