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.
Winter Weather
Winter weather came early this year for North Carolina, bringing snow and ice to counties across the state.
Maintenance crews began
preparing for winter weather in October, conducting dry runs, reviewing snow removal routes and testing equipment to ensure everything was ready for the season. The preparation paid off as teams mobilized quickly to treat roadways and respond to icy conditions.
During a winter weather event, the N.C. Department of Transportation advises drivers to stay off the roads as much as possible. If you must drive, follow these winter weather
safety tips:
Slow down and maintain a safe following distance;
Exercise extreme caution, especially on bridges and overpasses that tend to accumulate ice first; and
Clear any snow and ice from your vehicle before driving.
You can find the latest road conditions and travel information at
DriveNC.gov.
DriveNC.gov also has a Snow & Ice feature. When turned on, this feature shows wintry road conditions to help drivers pick the safest routes.
Blasting School
NCDOT staff in the west recently attended blasting school where they spent a week learning the proper handling and use of explosives for transportation engineering. Blasting school is an introductory course for new blasters and recertification course for the certified blasters.
This training is used throughout the year, whether it’s to break up rock for a pipe installation or to clear the road after a rockslide.
“We’ve been learning about explosive safety, how to properly set explosives and how to calculate how many explosives you need to blow apart rock," said Thomas Smith, a transportation engineering associate in the greater Asheville area.
Forty-seven NCDOT employees attended the training, from transportation workers and early career engineers to division maintenance leaders.
For more information about NCDOT Now, contact the NCDOT Communications Office at (919) 707-2660. Additional news stories from throughout the week can be found on
NCDOT.gov.