Final Up to date on October 16, 2022 5:50 pm
Native NCDOT officers and the City of Boone Public Works Division are as soon as once more prepared for Outdated Man Winter and its affect on native roads. Not solely are these skilled officers on high of what may occur every winter, however the materials and crews are additionally able to go too.
Watauga County
Not too long ago the Watauga NCDOT workplace performed their annual “Snow Day” for DOT workers and DOT contractors.
25 NCDOT vehicles and 10 contracted vehicles will tackle the duty of holding roads as clear as doable this winter. All 35 vehicles have inbox spreaders and snowplows. And if situations name for it, 3 motor-graders, 1 snowblower, and different tools are additionally out there.
Crews start clearing and remedy operations on “naked pavement routes” first. These routes are the primary highways within the county that carries the quantity of site visitors.
Naked pavement Map: NCDOT.
Between 400-500 tons of salt is utilized in Watauga County in a 24 hour interval when situations warrant. Travis Chrisawn, Watauga County NCDOT Upkeep Engineer, tells WataugaOnline.com that in stock are 4,400 tons of salt, 2500 tons of mixture screenings, and round 500 tons mixture of salt and mixture.
Pictures/Movies: Kenneth Reece/WataugaOnline.com October 12, 2022 throughout annual “Snow Day” for NCDOT workers and NCDOT contractors.
Travis Chrisawn, Watauga County NCDOT Upkeep Engineer, speaks to the media.
Watauga NCDOT crew hooks up and checks a snowplow.
Boone
In Boone beets will as soon as once more assist beat winter street points, at the least partly.
For the eleventh winter season in a row beet juice will develop the efforts to maintain streets handled for motorists. The beet juice is purchased in a great deal of 4,500 gallons and shall be blended with salt brine at a 70/30 brine to juice ratio. Utilizing the combination permits melting as snow falls, and offers City of Boone crews extra time to get on their routes to use the dry salt and slag.
Beet juice with salt brine may be utilized at about half the speed of salt brine by itself. Salt brine alone is utilized at 40-60 gallons per mile, nonetheless utilizing the 70/30 mix it may be utilized at 20-30 gallons per mile. Salt brine will soften all the way down to 10 levels however the beet juice added will soften all the way down to -20 levels.
One other massive benefit is the beet juice combine will keep on the street as much as 72 hours after utility in comparison with 24 to 48 hours for the salt brine. With the beet juice combine the corrosion issue additionally lowers by 76%. The primary wrongdoer in corrosion is attributable to the mud off simply the brine combine when it dries.
Once more this winter season City of Boone crews shall be pre-wetting the dry salt and slag, with the juice, to assist maintain the dry materials to remain on the pavement. By making use of dry materials by itself the loss is sort of 40% to bouncing off pavement to the shoulder of the street. Todd Moody, Deputy Public Works Director for Boone, says that crews will pre-wet masses at a charge of 10 gallons of brine per ton of salt to assist forestall bounce and splatter and begin activation.
The City of Boone started utilizing beet juice for the primary time within the winter of 2011 and was one of many first cities in North Carolina to take action.
Moody additionally tells WataugaOnline.com that the city has near 1000 tons of salt in storage and a purchase order order for an extra 1000 tons if wanted. 200 tons of slag (a really tremendous gravel materials) is available and a couple of,000 extra tons is on order as or if wanted. Public Works mixes salt to slag, 2 elements slag to 1 half salt, and makes brine as wanted out of the salt they’ve.
The Boone Public Works Division maintains 43 miles of street, or 86 lane miles, utilizing:
5 -4×4 snow plows
2 – one ton snow plows
1 – Motor Grader
4 – small tractors for sidewalks
together with different varied tools, loaders, and backhoes if wanted.
NOTE – The beneath information is from earlier reporting by WataugaOnline.com
Alleghany
455 miles
16 NCDOT plows, 1 contract plow
4 NCDOT motor graders, 3 contract motor graders
800 tons of salt saved
Ashe
805 miles
17 NCDOT plows, 9 contract plows
7 NCDOT motor graders, 7 contract motor graders
2,500 tons of salt saved
Avery
337 miles
13 NCDOT plows, 8 contract plows
5 motor graders, 2 contract motor graders
6,000 tons of salt saved
Caldwell
692 miles
13 NCDOT plows, 10 contract plows
2 motor graders, 7 motor graders
1,950 tons of salt out there
Surry
1,138 miles
34 NCDOT plows, 14 contract vehicles
5 NCDOT motor graders
2,200 tons of salt
Watauga
573 miles
25 NCDOT plows, 10 contract plows
4 NCDOT motor graders, 2 contract graders
4,400 tons of salt saved
Wilkes
1,329 miles
44 NCDOT plows, 7 contract plows
8 NCDOT motor graders, 9 contract grader
1,800 tons of salt saved
Yadkin
714 miles
16 NCDOT plows, 8 contract plows
3 NCDOT motor graders, 6 contract grader
800 tons of salt saved
