MANTEO – For the third day in a row, NCDOT crews are mounting a massive plowing and salting effort along the northern coast to tackle icy roads left behind by a severe winter storm that struck the region Wednesday night. More than 380 people and 170 pieces of equipment are spread out across the northeastern corner of the state working on clearing roadways. Contractors and NCDOT crews from the Greensboro and Asheville areas were also brought in to assist local forces,
Bitter cold temperatures make their work more challenging, since salt is not effective when temperatures drop below about 18 degrees. “Any areas that melt during the day, refreeze overnight,” said NCDOT Division One Engineer Jerry Jennings. “Areas that receive sunlight during the day will be in better shape, but shady areas, bridges and curves will be worse. We’re making significant progress, and the warmer weather expected Monday will be a big help in completing the cleanup.”
The other challenge is blowing snow. Some area primary roads had been cleared, but winds blew snow back on the roads and froze. This meant that crews had to shift back to clearing those roads again.
Motorists in the region are encouraged to avoid travel this weekend unless absolutely necessary. For those that must travel, the best advice is to allow extra time to arrive at your destination and to proceed with extreme caution. “We know this is frustrating for people who need to get to work or run errands,” said Jennings. “But this was an unusual storm for the region, and it’s going to take a little extra time to completely recover from it.”