CHARLOTTE — The N.C. Department of Transportation today is preparing Charlotte area roads for a weather event predicted to create hazardous driving conditions Wednesday morning. A mix of rain and snow flurries is forecast to arrive this afternoon, bringing gusty winds and plunging temperatures.
Slushy roads, followed by the possibility of black ice, may affect travel in Rowan, Iredell and Stanly counties.
NCDOT crews in Charlotte are using 10 trucks to spray a brine mixture on Mecklenburg County roadways, planning to finish by 4 p.m.
At 5 p.m., the department will have 15 contractor trucks staged along interstates to place materials on the road before temperatures dip below freezing. Should any rain or snow fall above freezing, crews will wait for the precipitation to end before treating roads, bridges and overpasses. Engineers will continue to monitor conditions overnight and will respond to treat any trouble spots.
NCDOT offers the following safety tips for driving in winter weather:
• Clear windows and mirrors;
• Reduce speed and leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles;
• Bridges and overpasses accumulate ice first. Approach them with extreme caution and do not apply your brakes while on the bridge;
• If you begin to slide, take your foot off the gas and turn the steering wheel in the direction of the slide. Do not apply the brakes as that will cause further loss of control of the car;
• Come to a complete stop or yield the right of way when approaching an intersection where traffic lights are out. Treat this scenario as a four-way stop; and
• If you have a cellular phone, take it with you. You can contact the Highway Patrol statewide by calling *HP (*47) or call the county emergency center by dialing 911.
• Travelers are asked NOT to call 911 or the State Highway Patrol for road conditions. The lines must remain clear for emergency calls.
For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone. Then, bookmark it to save for future reference. NCDOT Mobile is compatible with the iPhone, Android and some newer Blackberry phones.