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Shelby
-Brining
and snow removal operations were ongoing today in northwestern North Carolina
as N.C. Department of Transportation crews continue preparing for the latest
round of winter weather.
Snow fell Monday night on
some mountain counties in Division 11, which includesAlleghany, Ashe,
Avery, Caldwell, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes and Yadkin counties, and crews worked
today to clear that snow from roadways. Currently, interstates and primary
roads in the division are clear with possible icy spots in some areas. Some
icy patches also remain on a few secondary roads.
While snow-removal
operations were ongoing in the division's mountain counties, other crews in
the region continued brining operations that started Monday. Some areas in
the division saw rain on Monday, so NCDOT crews re-applied brine where the
solution might have been diluted or washed off the road.
Since Monday, Division 11
has placed more than 48,000 gallons of brine on roads in northwestern North
Carolina.Division 11 has the necessary manpower, equipment and supplies in
place to handle the coming winter storm, which the National Weather Service
says could produce heavy snow and treacherous driving conditions.
Motorists are asked to stay
off the roads, if possible. But if you must travel, NCDOT offers these safety
tips:
- Clear
windows and mirrors;
- Reduce
speed and leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles;
- Approach
bridges and overpasses 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;
- Be
on the lookout for fallen tree limbs and power lines from snow/ice
accumulation. NCDOT crews work with local power companies to remove the
fallen limbs and downed lines as quickly as possible;
- 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.
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