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.”