Crews begin treating roads at least 72 hours ahead of anticipated winter weather. Two salt plants are producing 320 gallons of brine per minute and the solution is being distributed across central North Carolina.
"We have a very robust operation today. This is our first big-scale salt brining operation in over a thousand days," said NCDOT Division Maintenance Engineer Doug McNeil.
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Primary roads were hit with brine on Wednesday. The work will continue Thursday on major interstates and high-volume routes.
SEE ALSO | Snow, sleet, freezing rain in the forecast as winter storm heads to central NC
The DOT says close to 350 trucks will head out on the roads and almost 14,000 tons of salt will be used on nearly 15,000 lane miles.
Staying warm at school and home
HVAC companies are gearing up for an uptick in calls this weekend.
"Because HVAC systems are running for a longer amount of time, they do have a higher potential to break down. Also, there is a higher potential for built up of carbon monoxide when they're running longer periods," said 911 Fix My AC Owner J.D. Anderson. "Everybody should have a carbon monoxide in their home and one is every room they're sleeping in with the door closed."
Lakeisha Bake's heat went out and her heating system needed to be repaired.
"It was very chilly downstairs. Upstairs, it was a little more comfortable. It was bearable," she said.
She hopes it keeps running during the anticipated snow.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it lasts and that doesn't go back out," said Baker.
The Wake County School District warns that these extremely low temperatures can put extra strain on school heating systems.
There was an early dismissal this week at Combs Magnet Elementary because the heat wasn't working properly.
The District says its facilities team has been performing maintenance on existing systems to try to keep things running and technicians are on standby during the cold snap to quickly restore service if there's an issue.
Their goal is to prep the roads as much as possible but it depends on what type of precipitation we get that will determine how big of a challenge this weather event becomes.
WATCH | NCDOT Update on preparing for winter storm
NCDOT gives update on winter weather preparations