Black ice next problem as snow begins to thaw around Cape Fear

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – Thawing roads have turned to ice around our area. It’s another night of dangerous driving conditions around Wilmington.

NCDOT officials say there have 10 plows working the primary roads, highways, and state roads, in New Hanover County. Once those roads are clear they will then begin working on the secondary roads. Officials said they still have a lot of work to do. They are even bringing in extra resources from Winston Salem to speed up the process.

“Actually with the incidents last night and today, I’ve actually been fairly surprised,” DOT IMAP supervisor Lucas Ansbach said.

Once it got dark, drivers like John Eager were the ones unpleasantly surprised.

“I’ve experienced snow, this ice is pretty brutal,” Eager said.

Icy roads have kept the DOT public crews and law enforcement busy after the Cape Fear was blanketed with winter weather.

“When it gets below freezing tonight there is a chance the roads could re-ice,” said Ansbach. “Again DOT is out we’re salting the roads, brining the roads some, doing as much as we can to keep the public safe. But they best thing they can do is to try and stay off of the roadways if they don’t have to absolutely have to be out.”

When someone is stuck in the snow, they need a tow. That’s why we decided to join Bullards Towing on a call.

“The road’s too icy and he just keeps spinning tires,” said Wes Greene, who answered his first call around 10 a.m. an 18-wheeler off the road on Carolina Beach Road.

Eager was the one who’s tires were spun out. Greene refers to the situation as a “wench.” Red Cross Street was more like an ice rink. Eager will be the first one to tell you that.

“Once I lost traction it was anybody’s game at that point,” Eager said. “The car turned sideways and just started rolling quite literally sliding back down the hill.”

The first of many calls Greene is expecting as the day turns to night Thursday.

“By the time we got done with that one we got two more so it’s probably going to the busy,” Greene said.

We spoke to more towing companies earlier in the day responding to calls along Highway 74/76. They were telling us that by that mid-afternoon, they had already worked more than 15 wrecks around Brunswick County.

Greene and his team stretch from Southport to Hampstead for calls of service. It’s a night he expects to be busy, but DOT hopes he’s wrong.

“Best thing they (drivers) can do is try to stay off of the roadways if they do not have to be out,” said Ansbach with what he wants drivers to do come nighttime.