Energy companies and the NCDOT prepares for winter impacts

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — With a winter storm watch extending through parts of the southeast, the state department of transportation and utility companies in the Cape Fear have been preparing for possible winter weather.  

With a threat for winter weather in the Cape Fear, preparations are underway.  

NCDOT started its “anti-icing operation,” which includes mixing salt and water to create a brine solution. This solution is taken from 5,000 gallon holding tanks and placed in trucks. The trucks pre-treat the roads with this starting with major highways and bridges.  

New Hanover County maintenance engineer, Blake Jacobs tells us what the salt does.  

“You put this application down till about 16 degrees. Typically, I don’t like to do much after 20 because if it drops down to 20 it’s going to stay pretty cold. So, it’s going to keep the moisture from freezing down to about 20 degrees,” Jacobs stated.  

Jacobs says if you see trucks pre-treating the roads, give them space.  

“Get this operation completed then we will move into our deicing operation if needed and give us room there as well. The best thing to do is stay home during this time. If we do have accumulation and traffic is out there it is just packing it down and packing it into ice. So, the less traffic that is out there would be better,” Jacobs said.  

Another concern as winter weather approaches, the power supply. 

Jeff Brooks, a spokesperson with Duke Energy, says along with the extended cold, there is a lot to watch.  

“In these days, our crews are checking their inventories, making sure that they are ready to be able to respond quickly. They’ll be on alert for the next couple of days in the event that we see any outages. Certainly, Tuesday night into Wednesday when we see that precipitation comes through will be an area that we’ll be ready to respond to and then if we see any other impacts this week,” Brooks said. 

Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation CEO Josh Winslow issued a statement, which reads “cold weather stretches mean higher demand on the grid as everyone works to stay warm. BEMC and our partners plan and invest to prepare the grid for the challenge. We’re monitoring conditions closely and are ready to respond quickly to keep power reliable for our members during this winter weather.” 

As of noon Monday, the N.C. DOT had already placed 33,000 gallons of brine in New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender Counties.  

They will continue doing so until Tuesday afternoon.