RALEIGH — Snow has not yet fallen in Rowan County, but the N.C. Department of Transportation wants to make sure that if it does, maintenance crews are ready to respond quickly. To prepare for the winter weather season, they will conduct dry runs today.
Crews will get out the spreaders that release salt onto the pavement before a storm hits and the plows that push snow off the roads as the storm passes through. They will put those pieces of essential equipment onto their trucks to make sure they are functioning properly. If they find problems, crews will have them fixed promptly.
“We’re being proactive,” NCDOT Rowan County Maintenance Engineer Kevin Neal said. “By testing the equipment before the snow falls, we save precious time when the winter weather actually hits, allowing our team to respond faster and get the roads in safe traveling condition sooner.”
Crews will continue monitoring the equipment Thursday as they ride their assigned routes throughout the county. These are the roads they will spray with a salt and water mixture called brine to prevent ice from bonding to the pavement and the areas they will plow after the snow falls. They will pay close attention to the terrain and note anything that could potentially become an obstacle to the large equipment they drive.
For real-time travel information during winter weather or any other time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter.