With freezing temperatures dropping into the night, how NCDOT handles slippery roads

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY)– Puddles in the street and wet roads, they look innocent, but at night wet roads could turn to ice when temperature drop, making the morning commute dangerous.

New Hanover County Maintenance Engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Blake Jacobs, has some lifesaving advice for people commuting during these extreme cold conditions.

“It’s always safe to stay home with these weathering events and with the unknown,” said Jacobs.

With potential freezing because of the rain on Sunday, the NCDOT is prepping for potentially hazardous conditions for Monday morning.

“we’re going to have a crew here Sunday evening into Monday morning with our salt spreaders, so we would, if we get a call, or if we are aware of any black ice or slick spots on bridges or whatever, we’re going to be prepared to go out with our salt spreaders and put salt on top of it,” said Jacobs.

On Friday morning, NCDOT sprayed brine pre-treatment on all major routes in New Hanover County, but with the possibility of black of ice due to the rain on Sunday, Island and high-rise bridges are more prone to freezing, which is something Jacobs and his team are prepared for.

“If we get black ice on Snows Cut Bridge, we are equipped. We can send a truck towards South Carolina beach, and then another truck towards 140 and hit the larger high-rise bridges. We can then send another truck that may be a concern or call that comes in,” said Jacobs.

With NCDOT doing their part to clean their roads, residents can do their own part to help clean their driveways.

Steven’s Ace Hardware owner and manager, Stephanie Stevens, sells pallets of salt for residents to buy, but says ice is not the only thing that can help.

“People can put play-sand, that helps ahead of time, so it doesn’t get all slippery. That will help get grip on the ground,” said Stevens.