NCDOT, New Hanover County officials give update on road clearing efforts, winter storm impact
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As snow continues to melt, some roads are starting to clear and become safe to drive on.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation continues to work around the clock to clear roads, though some will take longer to clear than others.
A spokesperson with the NCDOT said main roads throughout the region look great as crews continue to work.
Major roads, such as Highway 17 and US 74-76, were clear, although some shoulders still had snow and ice on them.
Snowfall in the region measured anywhere from 4 inches to more than a foot in some areas, forcing crews to clear lots of snow.
Battle Whitley is the Division 3 maintenance engineer.
He said there is an order they follow when clearing roads.
“Our priorities always start with the higher-tier system, meaning interstates, US primary highways, four-lane divided facilities,” Whitley said. “Then we start moving down into the next level of primary routes or in sometimes, some major arterials. We also try to prioritize access to hospitals.”
Whitley added that the DOT only maintains state roads, so any neighborhood or town roads that have not been cleared will be handled by the county or town.
And there have been some such roads that have been taken care of in New Hanover County, including MLK Parkway.
The parkway reopened to traffic just before noon on Monday, after being closed all weekend due to the storm.
Elsewhere, county government offices remained closed on Monday but will reopen on Tuesday.
County director of Emergency Management Steven Stills said people still need to be cautious when driving over the next few days, particularly along neighborhood and less-traveled roads, as melted snow is expected to re-freeze overnight as temperatures drop.
“Private roads, particularly you know, non-DOT maintained and non-city owned roads are not primary for road clearing or salting,” Stills said. “So, I think, in those areas, particularly like I said earlier, the ones that are shaded, you’re going to see those lingering icy patches.”
The county landfill will also reopen on Tuesday, but other county facilities like parks, Airlie Gardens, and the courts will remain closed.
The Emergency Operations Center will also close tomorrow, after being open since Saturday morning.
