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Shelby
-N.C. Department of Transportation crews in
Asheville and the surrounding counties have begun snow and ice removal
operations as the latest round of winter weather moves through the region.
Crews started brining
operations this morning in Division 13, which includes
includesBuncombe, Burke, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford and
Yancey counties. NCDOT crews, however, moved to snow and ice removal
operations around noon when snow started falling in some division
counties.
Division 13 crews will be
working through the night to clear any additional snow/ice accumulation that
develops.The division is equipped with the materials, manpower and
equipment needed for this round of winter weather.
The National Weather
Service has issued a winter storm watch for all of Division 13 from Tuesday
morning until Thursday morning. Based on current forecasts, the division is
expecting 4-8 inches of snow.
NCDOT offers the following
safety tips for driving in winter weather:
- 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 tree limbs and power lines that have fallen from
snow/ice accumulation. NCDOT works with power companies in the area to
clear those 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.
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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