With North Carolina's winter landscapes draped in fresh blankets of snow, the state's transportation department has been hard at work ensuring safe travel for its residents. According to a recent press release by the N.C. Department of Transportation, diligent NCDOT crews are operating tirelessly, clearing the roads battered by the latest winter storm, repeatedly hitting the state's northern counties.
For those dreaming of a peaceful drive, the advice from the NCDOT might hold some disappointment: Avoid the roads during these winter events, if you can help it. It's not just about safety—it's providing the room for these crews to do their job, which, impacted by yet another winter storm, isn't getting easier anytime soon.
But the week at the NCDOT wasn't all battles with the weather. In a display of local affection, an Edgecombe County bridge, a fixture over the Tar River carrying the weight of N.C. 42, was named after Katie and Karo Edmondson—a couple renowned for their service to the community through their general store. The store, doubling as a bank, a grocery, and a hub for fellowship and news, anchored the Old Sparta community in ways that now transcend the tangible.
Looking towards the future, the NCDOT is planting seeds for the next generation with the Garrett A. Morgan Page Program. Beginning March 24-28, this initiative, aimed at high school juniors and seniors from Title I schools, is designed to open vistas into the state government and transportation fields. The participants, attending schools often coping with the weight of serving high numbers from low-income families, are in for a journey that includes interaction with industry pros, hands-on activities and, quite literally, a ride on NC By Train.
The program owes its name to a pioneer for African American inventors, Garrett A. Morgan, the genius behind the precursor to what now dutifully commands our crossroads—the modern traffic light. And in honoring Morgan's legacy, the NCDOT sets the stage for a whole new cohort of crashers through barriers, lighting the path ahead for those eager to step into the transportation field.
