Photo courtesy of NCDOT.
State transportation fleets worked to clear heavy snowfall dumped on roadways by Winter Storm Pax in a coordinated effort with law enforcement authorities to address the wintery havoc leading into Presidents' Day weekend.
In preparation for the storm, the North Carolina Department of Transportation sent 25 trucks carrying 71,000 gallons of brine to pour onto roads in Charlotte starting Feb. 10, reports WSOC. Like salt, brine helps melt falling snow.
A round of snow and ice smacked the state on Wednesday, causing motorists to abandon their vehicles. By Thursday, NCDOT snowplows and trucks had spread more than 21,000 tons of salt on state roads, along with 6,300 tons of salt-sand mix. The NCDOT used 100 pieces of equipment, including 70 snow plows, in The Triangle region that includes Durham and Raleigh, reports WRAL.
After South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley declared a state of emergency on Wednesday — activating emergency operations efforts — the South Carolina Department of Transportation deployed its fleet of plows and dump trucks. By midday Thursday, there were 713 pieces of SCDOT equipment in use, reports The State.
The Georgia Department of Transportation deployed a fleet of 705 vehicles and pieces of equipment, including trucks, snow plows, and salt spreaders. The GDOT concentrated 125 spreaders and snow plows in Atlanta, reports WCTV.
As the winter storm began to swing north, DOT fleets in Maryland, Virginia, and Connecticut went into snow-fighting mode. The Virginia Department of Transportation deployed more than 12,000 plows and other equipment. In Maryland, more than 2,700 trucks and pieces of equipment were in use on Thursday by the Maryland State Highway Administration, reports WJLA.
