NCDOT Crews in Raleigh, Durham and Rest of Division 5 Cleaning Up from One Batch of Winter Weather, and Preparing for the Next


Raleigh – Crews from NCDOT Division 5, which includes Wake and Durham counties, as well as Franklin, Granville, Warren, Vance and Person counties, are trying to clear as much of the wet snow that fell in the area today as they can. And they are keeping their eyes on a potentially larger winter event that could arrive Wednesday night.

Crews had planned to be out today brining the major highways, bridges and overpasses in anticipation of a small amount of snow that was expected later this afternoon, and a possible several inches heading this way tomorrow night. Instead, today’s snow came about 10 hours earlier than expected, and all those plans changed.

Instead of brining, more than 100 workers in Wake and Durham counties had 75 trucks out using salt and sand to contend with slick roads and to try to keep ice from forming. In some locations later in the day they even used brine on top of the winter precipitation to help it melt.

The dayside crews will wrap up work by about 6 p.m. Then an overnight crew will be on hand to help contend with any icy spots that develop as the temperature drops. They will check on the bridges and other locations, and will respond when alerted to trouble spots by law enforcement.

The dayside crews will return in the morning to help improve roadways during rush hour, and then to prepare for what could be the largest snowfall in the area this winter. With sunshine in the forecast and a temperature that could reach the low 40’s, there is even a chance that major roads will dry out enough to allow for some brining to take place. Maintenance yards were able to replenish salt supplies used during last week’s storm so there should be more than enough to use.

The Department pre and post-storm procedures during winter weather is the same across the state. The initial focus is on interstates and other primary divided four-lane highways, ensuring they are clear before crews move onto the next group of roads. They are other U.S. and N.C. highways, followed by secondary roads, which are mostly two lanes and include streets in developments that are part of the state system.

It is not a process that can be done quickly, as Wake County has more state road lane mileage than any county in North Carolina at more than 5,710 lane miles of interstate, primary and secondary roads. Durham County has close to 1,700 lane miles.

Despite the all day efforts of crews, there will be icy patches developing as the temperature remains below freezing overnight.  So it’s recommended you don’t go out if you don’t have to go. And 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 for safety reasons.

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.