Sunshine, warming temps reveal 'bone-dry' roads after hectic morning commute

Roads thawed Tuesday afternoon after icy bridges and slippery interstates made for a hectic morning commute around the Triangle region.

Posted 10:52 a.m. Mar 13, 2018 — Updated 5:42 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

Evan Matsumoto

, WRAL.com editor

RALEIGH, N.C. — Roads thawed Tuesday afternoon after icy bridges and slippery interstates made for a hectic morning commute around the Triangle region.

Bridges were especially icy early in the morning as temperatures dipped to near or below freezing for many towns around the central North Carolina. Many schools delayed or canceled classes amid the hazardous conditions.

But roads improved rapidly as the sun rose and warmed the icy patches.

WRAL traffic reporter Brian Shrader said traffic was flowing freely a couple hours after multiple crashes slowed vehicles to a crawl on Interstate 40 and other major thoroughfares. North Carolina Department of Transportation traffic cameras at noon showed vehicles moving across dry roads at posted interstate speeds.

"I couldn't rule out maybe a slushy spot in a shaded area or a hilly area, especially north of the Triangle, but (we're) hard-pressed to find anything that is not bone-dry on our cameras around the Triangle," Shrader said.

Sunny skies will keep the roads dry through the rest of the day, though temperatures will remain cooler than normal for this time of the year.

9:00 a.m.: Department of Transportation crews worked Tuesday morning to break up ice with sand as the sun rose over the Triangle.

DOT spokesman Steve Abbott said most roads were dry, but a few trouble spots remained.

"For the most part (the roads) are in pretty good shape," Abbott said. "Obviously the same trouble spots we have any time in winter weather, the bridges, overpasses, some of the loop interstate type ramps might have some ice still on them or ice developing, that's quickly going away."

Abbott said crews could not brine before the storm because it was raining, which would have washed away any brine they put down.

"When it rains for a day and a half or so, brining is worthless because it just washes away," Abbott said. "So, we became more of a reactionary force. We had people ready to go, we had people in all night to react to slippery spots."

8:35 a.m.: Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said ice is still a problem on some rural roads even though the sun is beginning to warm them.

The real problem, though, is still the bridges, Harrison said.

"Just be careful because you never know when you're going to hit that black ice," Harrison said.

8:20 a.m.: The North Carolina Highway Patrol's Sgt. Chris Knox said road conditions have not improved much since 6 a.m. as ice remains a problem, especially on entrance and exit ramps to interstates.

Knox said more people are getting out on the roads as they head to work, and the ice is catching them by surprise. Specific crash numbers have not been updated since the latest were released earlier Tuesday morning, but Knox said he believes there has been a "sharp increase" in the number of collisions since 6 a.m.

"We're not out of the woods yet," Knox said.

8:07 a.m.: WRAL traffic reporter Brian Shrader said the sun is beginning to melt some of the trouble spots, but some ice is still sticking on the roads.

7:35 a.m.: Sgt. Chris Knox, of the North Carolina Highway Patrol, said troopers have taken lots of calls due to crashes on icy roads. He said the spots were "sporadic," though, meaning there were slick spots on both rural roads and on interstates. It isn't widespread icing.

"Go ahead an anticipate there is going to be ice because we know it's out (there) this morning," Knox said.

Knox said troopers responded Monday to 1,600 crashes and 2,300 calls for service around the state as the snow and sleet fell. On Tuesday morning, troopers were called to 140 collisions and took 200 calls for service, Knox said.

"(That's) definitely well above our normal call volume for this time of year," Knox said.

7:30 a.m.: The Durham County Sheriff's Office said it had not taken any weather related calls and there were no more accidents than usual in the county.

7:00 a.m.: A wreck on Interstate 40 at Harrison Avenue caused big delays in the area, but vehicles were streaming by in the right two lanes.

6:45 a.m.: Durham police said a tractor-trailer jack knifed on U.S. 15-501 and Garrett Road near Interstate 40.

6:30 a.m.: A multiple-vehicle crash clogged westbound lanes of Interstate 40 between Harrison Avenue and Aviation Parkway in Cary.

6:00 a.m.: Bridges around the region were icy, causing crashes early Tuesday morning.

3:30 a.m.: Durham police said they had no weather-related incidents yet, but there was at least one bad spot on the Durham Freeway at Interstate 40 east.

Suggest A Correction