Power lines block Wade Avenue; crews ready for icy roads

Light rain fell across central North Carolina Tuesday night as crews were ready for possible icy roads overnight.

Posted 3:56 a.m. Jan 14, 2015 — Updated 8:43 a.m. Jan 14, 2015

RALEIGH, N.C. — Wade Avenue was blocked in both directions at Interstate 440 Tuesday night after a truck hit a power pole, causing power lines to fall across the roadway.

Officials have not said if the accident was caused by icy roads.

Light rain fell across central North Carolina as crews were ready for possible icy roads overnight.

In Raleigh, 13 trucks filled with salt material were on standby as crews are waiting for a little precipitation before hitting the roads.

“What we want to see is a little bit of rain to fall and a little bit of moisture on the surface that we want to actually put the salt on so that way the salt will start melting and it will stick so it won't get kicked off by the cars,” said Steve Halsey with Raleigh Transportation Field Services.

The top priority for Raleigh crews will be bridges, which tend to freeze first.

Cary has 800 tons of pure salt and 2,500 tons of salt/sand mix to keep the town's 723 linear miles of streets clear.

“We’re continuing to monitor conditions but so far there haven’t been any changes," said Scott Hecht, Cary's public works director. "The road temperatures are still above freezing and nothing frozen has fallen from the sky. The team is here and ready for whatever mother nature decides to cook up tonight.”

Crews in Rocky Mount spent part of the day spreading about 3,000 gallons of brine on city streets, including on U.S. Highway 64, U.S. Highway 264 and Interstate 95, roads that were also treated by the state Department of Transportation.

If a motorist sees a driver spin-out on ice, they should help them – but only if the driver is in harm’s way, said Jonathan Boone, Rocky Mount Public Works & Water Resources Director.

"But otherwise, what I would do is just keep moving, call 911, make them aware of the location and let our police department respond to it,” he said. “Otherwise you could make a bad situation worse. a pileup. right."

DOT crews spread brine along Interstate 95 from Benson to the South Carolina border.

Triangle Transit delays

The following routes will be delayed Wednesday morning:

Route 700 will begin at Durham Station at 10 a.m.
Route 700 will begin at the Regional Transit Center at 10:30 a.m.
Route 400 will begin at Durham Station at 10 a.m.
Route 400 will begin at Manning Drive and UNC Hospital at 10 a.m.
Route 800 will begin at Streets of Southpoint at 10:01 a.m.
Route 800 will begin at South Road-Student Stores at 10:09 a.m.
Route 300 will begin at the Cary Train Station at 10 a.m.
Route 100 will begin at Hillsborough Street/Brooks at 10 a.m.
Route 100 will begin at Airport-Terminal 1 at 10:10 a.m.

Tips for driving on icy roads

First, don't go out unless you absolutely have to. If you must, slow down and leave plenty of space between you and other vehicles. Do not use cruise control, and drive smoothly without sudden accelerating, braking or turning.

A slide or skid can be unnerving. Keep these maneuvers in mind when driving; better yet, practice in an empty parking lot before you have to use them. Use the same maneuver for front-wheel, rear-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles. In all cases:

Don’t panic.
Take your foot off of the accelerator.
If you have to use the brakes, use them gently (anti-lock brakes should be applied with gentle, steady pressure; for standard, non-ABS brakes, pump the brake pedal gently to avoid locking up).
Wait for the car to slow down enough to regain traction before gently accelerating.
Yield the right of way at intersections.

Rear-wheel skids

Steer your vehicle in the direction that your rear wheels are skidding.
Avoid focusing on what your vehicle may be headed toward and instead focus on getting out of the skid.

Front-wheel skids

Shift into neutral.
Don’t try to steer immediately.
When your vehicle begins to slow down, steer in the direction that you want your vehicle to go.
Put the vehicle into gear and gently accelerate.

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