'Travel is treacherous': 1,000 DOT workers trying to clear roads

"Travel is treacherous," said DOT Sec. Tony Tata.

About 1,000 DOT workers were on the roads Thursday afternoon and had already used 11,000 tons of salt, 1,700 tons of salt and sand and 1.6 million gallons of brine.

"They've got their routes. They've rehearsed their routes," Tata said. "Crews worked all night long and cleared as much as they could."

State highway patrol officials said the roads are improving, but they are concerned about roads refreezing overnight.

"The road conditions are going to vary widely based on where you are," said WRAL traffic reporter Brian Shrader. "Roads south of the Triangle are much better off because they've seen more rain than snow, but in northern parts of Wake County, Durham county and other points north, roads are treacherous."

"It's dangerous out there. Just stay where you are," Shrader added. "It's mostly north and west of Raleigh where we're seeing the most problems."

DOT crews were out in force at 4 a.m. plowing interstates and primary roads. Downed trees were also an issue because of the heavy, wet snow and mixed precipitation.

"We are getting plenty of calls about trees being down, and we're responding to those now," said Wake County Assistant Maintenance Engineer Jason Dunigan. "We're trying to clear the roads for power companies so they can get out and do what they do."

Dunigan said the brine that crews spread Wednesday afternoon and evening did help.

"We are pushing snow off the interstate and primary roads now, and it's coming off pretty good. The roads are coming along, it's just going to take time," he said.

The 4900 block of Falls of Neuse Road was shut down in both directions near Millbrook Road in Raleigh due to an overnight crash. A driver hit a power pole, knocking power lines down on the road. The driver's name and condition were not released. Raleigh police did not have an estimated time of when the road would reopen.

The Durham County Sheriff's Office reported trees down Thursday morning in the 5300 block of Leesville Road, the 1400 block of John Jones Road and the 100 block of Pawnee Court and a power line down in the 500 block of Todd Street.

Durham police said roads were "bad all over the city due to snow and trees down." Officers responded to about 30 crashes from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday. Officers also helped 17 stranded drivers during that time.

Eight accidents were reported in Wilson County since midnight, most of which were on Interstate 95. No one was injured.

Raleigh police responded to 41 incidents from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 8 a.m. Thursday, most of which were crashes involving vehicle damage. Multiple crashes were reported across the area overnight, including:

Outside the Triangle, Interstate 95 in Cumberland County was clear Thursday morning, according to WRAL reporter Gilbert Baez. "No problems with snow or ice," he said.

After 1 to 3 inches of snow fell across the region on Tuesday, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded to nearly 3,000 calls for service statewide, including 2,300 vehicle crashes. Troopers then responded to approximately 700 calls for service statewide between midnight and noon Wednesday. About 400 of those calls were for collisions.

The highway patrol typically responds to about 1,000 calls for service in a 24-hour period.

"Some motorists get a false sense of security once they see the roads are clear,” said David Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas. “They tend to go faster than they should and end up hitting a patch of ice or slush, then find themselves stuck."

DOT crews treated trouble spots Wednesday morning, then spread salt brine on interstate and primary roads in preparation for Wednesday night’s snow. About 80 DOT employees and 50 trucks covered more than 1,400 miles of interstate and primary roads in Wake County, where crews also received about 800 tons of new salt. More than three dozen DOT workers in Durham County reported to work Wednesday afternoon to ensure trucks, supplies and other equipment were ready, the department said.

“Because in North Carolina the DOT maintains a majority of the roads, clearing a significant snowfall is not an easy task,” DOT officials said in a statement. “Wake is the state’s largest county in terms of state-maintained lane miles at more than 5,710. Durham County has close to 1,700 lane miles.”

With last week’s wintry mix and Tuesday’s snow, DOT crews have been busy over the past two weeks.

“Our team has shown incredible fortitude and dedication as we have prepared for and responded to the multiple storms that have hit our state,” said DOT Secretary Tony Tata.

Prior to this week’s storms, town crews in Chapel Hill used 30,000 gallons of brine, 185 tons of salt, 120 tons of sand and 3,000 pounds of ice melt to treat roads. The town will use 10 plow trucks, six salt/sand trucks, four brine trucks and seven motor graders to treat about 350 miles of roads Wednesday night.

In Cary, 19 spreaders, 20 pick-up truck plows and 24 plows were treating the town's 723 miles of streets.

Public transit has already been impacted by the incoming storm: