GREENSBORO – N.C. Department of Transportation crews across Division 7, which includes Guilford, Alamance, Orange, Caswell and Rockingham counties; and Division 9, which encompasses Stokes, Forsyth, Davidson, Davie and Rowan counties, have prepared their arsenal in the pending war against wintry weather.
This month crews are conduction winter weather preparedness dry runs across the state.“We have more than 18 thousand tons of salt and more than 87 thousand gallons of salt brine mixture to fight the snow and ice this season,” said Division 7 Maintenance Engineer Brad Wall.“
In addition to division maintenance crews staffed to handle seasonal storms, we have allocated funds to hire additional contract personnel to supplement staffing and support our primary mission which is safety,” said Division 7 Board Member and Board of Transportation Chairman Michael S. Fox.
Division 7 inventory breakdown by county:
Guilford:
Salt (Tons): 9744
Brine (Gal): 30000
State Trucks: 56
State Graders: 7
Contract Truck/Graders: 81
State Employees: 51
Alamance:
Salt (Tons): 2633
Brine (Gal): 20000
State Trucks: 33
State Graders: 6
Contract Truck/Graders: 32
State Employees: 23
Orange:
Salt (Tons): 1319
Brine (Gal): 22500
State Trucks: 29
State Graders: 3
Contract Truck/Graders: 22
State Employees: 9
Rockingham:
Salt (Tons): 3338
Brine (Gal): 15000
State Trucks: 29
State Graders: 9
Contract Truck/Graders: 19
State Employees: 57
Caswell:
Salt (Tons): 980
Brine (Gal): (Shared)
State Trucks: 24
State Graders: 5
Contract Truck/Graders: 2
State Employees: 23During the month of November all 14 divisions gear up for the season.“We have salt and brine trucks and graders staged at various locations around the 5-county region and we are ready to respond to the interstates, bridges and overpasses whenever the call comes,” said Division 9 Maintenance Engineer John P. Rhyne.“With 1,803 primary lane miles and 442 interstate lane miles around Division 9 alone, crews have to make certain that their equipment is ready and they are fully trained to handle whatever Mother Nature brings this season,” said Division 9 Board Member Michael Wells Sr.
Division 9 inventory breakdown by county:
Davidson:
Salt (Tons): 1,600
Brine (Gal): 45,000
State Trucks: 26
State Graders: 10
Contract Truck/Graders: 62
State Employees: 43
Davie:
Salt (Tons): 900
Brine (Gal): 30,000
State Trucks: 10
State Graders: 4
Contract Truck/Graders: 18
State Employees: 18
Forsyth:
Salt (Tons): 2,700
Brine (Gal): 45,000
State Trucks: 25
State Graders: 4
Contract Truck/Graders: 115
State Employees: 58
Rowan:
Salt (Tons): 1,800
Brine (Gal): 45,000
State Trucks: 25
State Graders: 7
Contract Truck/Graders: 14
State Employees: 33
Stokes:
Salt (Tons): 2,040
Brine (Gal): 25,000
State Trucks: 17
State Graders: 5
Contract Truck/Graders: 39
State Employees: 31
When a storm does threaten our communities, NCDOT proactively treats major highways, bridges and overpasses in advance with salt brine. In most conditions the brine helps keep ice and snow from sticking to road surfaces, making them easier to clear.
Once snow hits, the department handles the roads using a priority system that calls for interstates and four-lane divided primary routes (N.C. and U.S. routes) to be cleared first, followed by lower-volume primary roads, high-volume secondary roads, lower-volume secondary roads and then subdivision streets.
We encourage motorists to prepare for the season by logging on to our website now to find out aboutsevere weather and safety tips
.For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.