JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. — The snowplows may not be needed anymore, but the cleanup is not over yet for DOT crews. Dozens of accidents have banged up guardrails and cables on Interstate 40.

On many areas along the sides of Interstate 40, many of the cables and poles for the guardrails have been ripped up from the ground from numerous fender benders related to last week's snowstorm.

DOT officials say they plan to go out, evaluate and document all of the guardrail damage. They estimate that it will take from one to three weeks to document all of the damage.

They will then prioritize the guardrail repair needs and pass along work orders to a private contractor. The contractor will then have 30 days to actually get the areas repaired.

The DOT says guardrails around bridges will be given emergency attention. They claim that they will not know the cost for repairs until they get all the damage documented.

The DOT will work with auto insurance companies to try and recoup as much of the repair costs as possible.