Charlotte residents awoke to a winter wonderland, but with the beauty comes a familiar challenge: navigating snowy streets. As a foot of snow blanketed Division 10—home to Anson, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Stanly, and Union counties—the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and contract crews hustled to clear the roads. These efforts followed the strategic pre-storm application of over 173,000 gallons of brine, according to an official NCDOT release.
The storm's impact has been significant, with most roads in the division either partially or wholly embraced by the winter's grip, and as crews commenced de-icing operations Saturday morning, the department's fleet of 72 NCDOT and 121 contract trucks remain on-call, tackling the bare pavement system that bridges the life of the region and the challenge set by the skies above, the Department's snow clearing policy details the approach taken to prioritize certain roads over others.
In response to the hazardous conditions, NCDOT has urged residents to remain indoors, curtailing unnecessary travel to aid the snow removal process, capitalizing on daylight and any potential melting, patience here, is not just a virtue, but a necessity, as road safety may be a concern for several more days due to the potential for cold temperatures leading to re-freezing surfaces.
Furthering their efforts to keep roads safe, NCDOT has collaborated with the N.C. State Highway Patrol, enacting an immediate towing procedure for vehicles abandoned on roads or shoulders, posing risks to moving traffic, this protocol will be enforced continually until conditions are deemed safe again, as highlighted by the recent NCDOT press release.
Staying updated on road conditions is easy for residents with the availability of DriveNC.gov, plus, NCDOT keeps the community informed through regular updates on social media platforms.
