Department staff works around the clock clearing roads
By Becky Long
Publisher
Clay County residents woke up to a blanket of snow on Saturday, Jan. 31. The average accumulation was 2 to 4 inches accompanied by wind and temperatures dipping into the teens and below.
Residents were reminded not to be on the roads unnecessarily during this time and even Ingles and McDonalds closed in the early afternoon.
In the meantime, workers of the Clay County DOT put their snow plan into gear. The plan calls for 13 men working day and night in 12-hour shifts.
“This helps us to have trucks on the roads 24 hours a day,” said Austin Phillips, county maintenance engineer for Clay and Macon Counties. “Crews work until all snow/ice is gone.”
Brine is typically placed on all primary routes throughout the county one to two days before the event, Phillips said. Brine is a solution of water and 23 percent salt.
Once the event starts and the snow has fallen, the DOT applies salt or a sand/salt mixture to the paved roads ways.
“Top priority is our bare pavement routes, which will include all primary routes such as US-64, NC-69, NC-175. Once these have been treated, we move to paved secondaries, then to gravel secondaries,” Phillips said.
“We have a well-trained crew in Clay County that handles any issue that may arise throughout their shift,” he said. “We do ask that the public have patience with us during these operations and give our equipment room to work.”
Phillips is not alone in expressing confidence in the DOT workers, particularly during challenging weather conditions. Clay County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Bruce Moore reported only one traffic crash, saying it was minor. “This was largely due to motorists staying home, which was very helpful,” he said .
“Another major factor was the DOT in Clay County getting out early and working long hours to ensure our roads were as well maintained as possible,” Moore added. “Without their outstanding efforts there would have more traffic crashes and our responses to calls would have been delayed severely.”
“The Clay County DOT guys deserve all the praise for helping everyone else mitigate the snow and ice. Law enforcement, fire and EMS all benefited from their hard work,” he continued.
Another positive factor for the sheriffs office was a fleet of four-wheel drive vehicles.
“Our patrol staff was able to get to and from work because almost all of our vehicles have 4WD capabilities. Without those vehicles, our response to calls would have been significantly delayed,” Moore said. “We are very fortunate to live in a place with so many partners sharing the common goal of public safety.”