RALEIGH – The following are highlights from this week at the N.C. Department of Transportation. The stories below are also featured in
NCDOT Now, the department's weekly newscast.
Snow Impacts Entire State
It’s gone now, but for the first time this season, the entire state was impacted by winter weather and the N.C. Department of Transportation was ready.
Last week, more than 2,000 NCDOT employees used 1,500 trucks and graders to treat and clear roads after North Carolina’s first widespread snowfall of 2020. Despite rain impacting some the department’s brining efforts, NCDOT used more than 900,000 gallons to prevent snow and ice from sticking to the roads.
Pothole Reporting
Winter weather can create potholes and with approximately 80,000 miles of state-maintained roads, NCDOT needs your help getting them fixed.
The public is urged to go the
department’s website and search "pothole" to let the crews know where one in need of repair is located. Your report will go directly to the county maintenance office that will handle the problem.
Online Certification System Now Available
NCDOT’s Office of Civil Rights is making it easier for more businesses to compete for work. Earlier this week, the
agency launched a new website that allows small, disadvantaged businesses to apply online and become certified to market their firms in the transportation industry.
Black History Month: Garrett Morgan
In honor of Black History Month, NCDOT is featuring Garrett Morgan, who is credited with inventing the precursor of the modern traffic signal. It’s reported that Morgan witnessed a collision between a car and a horse-drawn carriage and knew something should be done to improve traffic safety. As a result, Morgan developed a three-position traffic signal and was granted a U.S. patent for it in 1923. Nearly a century later, Morgan’s invention still provides traffic safety on roads worldwide.