NCDOT Crews Prepare for Wintry Weather

BOONE, N.C. — It may still be fall across the Carolinas, but the North Carolina Department of Transportation is already getting ready for wintry weather.

The NCDOT held its annual snow prep day at the Watauga County Maintenance Yard in Boone on Wednesday.

Crews checked equipment, loaded trucks, prepared salt-spreaders, and performed dry-runs on roads they will clear during a snow or ice event. Officials want to be ready for the first winter storm, whenever it hits.

“We know that winter can show up anytime,” said Watauga County Maintenance Engineer Travis Chrisawn. “It’s not uncommon to have snow events in late October here, so the intent is to get ahead of the curve, to have the trucks prepared, so when it does snow there’s no delay in responding to the need.”

The NCDOT can store up to 175,000 tons of salt and sand along with two million gallons of brine at its storage facilities across the state.

The first day of winter is December 21.