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Local NCDOT Crews Ready for Winter, By the Numbers: Miles of Road, Plows, Trucks and Graders, Tons of Salt

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqbUzzJcR1Q[/youtube]

Nov. 13, 2013. Local N.C. Department of Transportation crews are closely monitoring the weather and stand ready to respond to winter weather if needed. Maintenance crews in Division 11, which is comprised of Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes and Yadkin counties – are busy preparing equipment to respond to the forecasted winter weather.

Crews completed dry runs and calibrated equipment in early October, and topped off their salt and sand supplies well in advance of any winter weather.

Although the weather event is not expected to produce a significant amount of precipitation, motorists should slow down and watch for icy spots, particularly on bridges and overpasses which freeze first. Since pavement temperatures are still warm and precipitation is expected to begin as rain, crews did not pretreat roads with salt brine, which is a water and salt solution that helps prevent snow or ice from sticking to roadways in the initial hours of a storm.

Here’s a breakdown of winter weather equipment and supplies each county throughout Division 11 has available, as well as the number of miles of roads each is responsible for clearing.

Alleghany

  • 455 miles
  • 16 NCDOT plows, 1 contract plow
  • 4 NCDOT motor graders, 3 contract motor graders
  • 800 tons of salt stored

Ashe

  • 805 miles
  • 17 NCDOT plows, 9 contract plows          
  • 7 NCDOT motor graders, 7 contract motor graders
  • 2,500 tons of salt stored

Avery

  • 337 miles
  • 13 NCDOT plows, 8 contract plows
  • 5 motor graders, 2 contract motor graders
  • 6,000 tons of salt stored

Caldwell

  • 692 miles
  • 13 NCDOT plows, 10 contract plows
  • 2 motor graders, 7 motor graders
  • 1,950 tons of salt available

Surry

  • 1,138 miles
  • 34 NCDOT plows, 14 contract trucks
  • 5 NCDOT motor graders
  • 2,200 tons of salt

Watauga

  • 573 miles
  • 20 NCDOT plows, 12 contract plows        
  • 4 NCDOT motor graders, 2 contract grader
  • 6,000 tons of salt stored

Wilkes

  • 1,329 miles
  • 44 NCDOT plows, 7 contract plows          
  • 8 NCDOT motor graders, 9 contract grader
  • 1,800 tons of salt stored

Yadkin

  • 714 miles
  • 16 NCDOT plows, 8 contract plows          
  • 3 NCDOT motor graders, 6 contract grader
  • 800 tons of salt stored