Raleigh -With the winter weather impact forecasts
changing for different areas in North Carolina, the five Incident Management
Assistance Patrol (IMAP) units from across the state that had been sent to patrol
the I-95 corridor this week have returned to their home bases.
Two IMAP units from
the Triangle area, one from the Triad, and two from the Charlotte patrolled
along I-95, which normally doesn't have IMAP service, on Tuesday. They were
there to assist motorists during this week's winter weather, and to help law
enforcement deal with accidents and clear vehicles from the roadway. Broken
down or abandoned vehicles can pose a safety risk to DOT crews trying to clear
the roads, and to other drivers and first responders.
However, after
consulting with personnel in the NCDOT Divisions along I-95 this morning, it
was decided the IMAP drivers could be returned to their home locations where they
are likely to be needed more. A change in the weather forecast indicates those
areas will likely be impacted by the winter weather more than the I-95 corridor.
IMAP drivers already
work in several areas of the state, responding to a variety of needs. They
detect and verify incidents and provide temporary traffic control for more significant
incidents. Each truck is equipped with air compressors for flat tires, front
and rear winches for moving vehicles out of travel lanes and gasoline and
diesel fuel to get stranded vehicles to the nearest gas station.
In winter weather,
the IMAP patrols help snow and ice cleanup crews, as well as assist law enforcement clear vehicles that may break down or get abandoned along roadways.
Those vehicles can pose a safety risk to DOT crews trying to clear the roads,
and to other drivers and first responders.
Drivers who need
assistance along I-95 are encouraged to call *HP, and the Patrol dispatch can
send an IMAP to the location.
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 reference.
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.
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