Snow Equipment at Center of Storm Between DOT and Person County

Roxboro, N.C. — Snowy weather is at the center of a storm brewing between the State Department of Transportation and Person County.

The DOT's new snow-removal plan will take equipment from Person County and use it on major roadways around the Triangle. That is not sitting well with Person County leaders and their citizens.

DOT splits the state into 14 Divisions: Wake, Durham, Person counties are included in Division 5.

When it comes to major highways, there are more of them in the Triangle than Person County, like Interstate 40 and Interstate 85. Since these highways are usually priority No. 1 when it snows, DOT says it's trying to maximize its resources by moving equipment from Person County.

“I don't like it. I don't like it at all,” former Roxboro council member Wally Burke said. “We just don't see the reason to take our trucks out of District 5 and take them to Durham, Wake County, Raleigh."

WRAL talked with the DOT chief maintenance engineer Brandon Jones about the plan. He said it is designed to clear major roadways within 12 hours of a snowstorm that drops 2 to 4 inches.

To meet that deadline, Jones said DOT depots in the Triangle will get nine of the 13 snow plows and spreaders based in Person County. At the present time, Jones said, Wake and Durham counties don't have enough trucks to go around.

“We're losing resources, obviously, but I understand he needs to put them where he needs to put them,” Person County Manager Steve Carpenter said.

Carpenter said he is concerned his community is getting short-changed, however. When snow is in the forecast, he said, Roxboro usually gets hit. Under the current plan, miles and miles of secondary roads that usually get plowed could go untouched for days, he added.

“If you can't get out to the highway, you can't get to school, work, hospital – you can't do anything,” Carpenter added.

Jones said the plan is to leave at least six DOT trucks in Person County along with six contractors.

As for the wintry weather heading this way Thursday, DOT does not plan to move any trucks out of Person County because it is not expected to be a measurable snow event.

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Latest Comments

We all know the world revolves around the triangle anyway...

rdavis7703
January 18, 2008 8:20 a.m.

It is not the State's equipment; it is our equipment. We paid for it not the state. I agree an appropriate distribution needs to be implemented. I don't agree that areas with more population are necessarily the ones that need the equipment the most. The western and northern parts of our state are far more likely to get accumulations than we do in the Triangle. We get the rare snowfall and ice accumulation which mother nature takes away very quickly. Having said that, I think the counties ought to talk to the garbage haulers and get them to put plows on their vehicles.

whatelseisnew
January 17, 2008 5:08 p.m.

Who needs snow equipment when it is raining anyway?

Person County does not own that equipment, your taxes do.

shine
January 17, 2008 4:04 p.m.

Comments must be approved by our moderators before they appear on the site. We will make every effort to approve comments in a timely fashion. Please be patient. More PC Police......

Maybe instead of pulling over half of the epuipment from Person, they pull one truck from Franklin, two from Warren, One from Granville, Two from Vance and maybe one from Person, and so on. These counties won't miss one or two trucks as much as one county would miss half of their eqipment.

I am glad that I woke up and could post this during daylight hours.

anonemoose
January 17, 2008 3:12 p.m.

I find it wierd that each and evrey county tends to act like it's an independant mini-state. Face it, the equipment belongs to the residents of the whole state, and if is needed in the more population dense areas, then that is where it should be. If the people in person county don't like it, they should move.