BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Preparations are underway across the region for the possibility of snow and ice on Friday.
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The North Carolina Department of Transportation told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty it was too cold in Burke County to put down the saltwater mixture Wednesday afternoon – they’re concerned it could freeze. However, officials said they’ll be ready for the first snow in nearly three years later this week.
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Channel 9 saw a lot of activity over at the NCDOT yard south of Morganton, where road crews already had plows on many of the trucks there.
Spreaders were loaded on the trucks and will be ready to roll Friday, with salt and dirt.
The county engineer told Channel 9 they’re also sharpening their chainsaws in case Burke County sees a lot of ice.
They have a huge stockpile of salt – nearly 2,400 tons.
One of the biggest challenges are the very cold temperatures over the last few days, which could cause roadways to become very slick early on if the snow impacts the area.
“Usually when we get snow North Carolina tends to have warmer temperatures before and it keeps the ground temperature warmer,” said Josh Mashburn with the NCDOT. “Right now, it’s been so cold when the snow starts to fall I believe it will stick.”
Hickory crews also began preparing Wednesday afternoon with new equipment they showed Channel 9.
Public Works Director Steve Miller showed Channel 9 the brining operation workers built from the ground up.
It allows them to store the brine in huge tanks and load up the trucks to hit overpasses.
“It’s able to make the brine to specifications that are needed to put on the roadways,” Miller said. “We’re able to do like 5,000 gallons every two hours, which can keep our trucks moving.”
NCDOT said they have 30 trucks ready to roll on Friday and are preparing workers for possible 12-hour shifts.
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