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North Carolina Department of Transportation in Begin Clearing Secondary Roads in WNC

NCDOT workers prepping for snow removal of secondary roads on Wednesday. Photo by Ken Ketchie
NCDOT workers prepping for snow removal of secondary roads on Wednesday. Photo by Ken Ketchie

Jan. 29, 2014. After clearing most primary roads in the northwestern part of the state this morning, N.C. Department of Transportation crews have moved on to clearing secondary roads throughout the region.

Two to three inches of snow fell Tuesday across NCDOT’s Division 11, which includes Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes and Yadkin counties. There are 130 trucks and 200 employees in the division to continue clearing roads as needed. 

Division 11 counties will have some crews working overnight tonight to handle any trouble spots on roads. Temperatures are expected to fall well below freezing tonight, so it’s possible icy patches will develop.

On Tuesday, Division 11 sent about 10 percent of its resources to eastern North Carolina to help with snow and ice removal in that region.  There are currently no plans to send additional crews to eastern North Carolina, and Division 11’s crews are expected to return by Friday.

NCDOT reminds motorists not to drive unless absolutely necessary. If you must drive, NCDOT offers the following safety tips for driving in winter weather:

•           Clear windows and mirrors;

•           Reduce speed and leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles;

•           Approach bridges and overpasses with extreme caution and do not apply your brakes while on a bridge unless necessary;

•           If you begin to slide, take your foot off the gas and turn the steering wheel in the direction of the slide. Do not apply the brakes as that will cause further loss of control of the car;

•           Come to a complete stop or yield the right of way when approaching an intersection in case any vehicles coming from other directions lose control of their vehicles while trying to stop;

•           If you have a cellular phone, take it with you. You can contact the Highway Patrol statewide by calling *HP (*47) or call law enforcement in the event of an emergency by dialing 911; and

•           Travelers are asked NOT to call 911 or the State Highway Patrol for road conditions. The lines must remain clear for emergency calls.

For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone. Then, bookmark it to save for future reference.