NCDOT crews show how they prepare ahead of time to combat snow, ice accumulation on the road

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Mid-November is the time when the North Carolina Department of Transportation starts getting prepared to combat winter conditions.

NCDOT pulled the curtain back on those preparations Monday by showing how crews load salt, sand and brine on their trucks equipped with snow plows.

"We'll put the equipment on and make sure our our spreaders are calibrated to put down the correct rate," NCDOT Wake County Maintenance Engineer Daniel Boulware said. "We don't want to put down too much and we don't want to put down too little it's it's it's 250 pounds per lane mile for for salt and it's 40 to 45 gallons for brine."

After the rain but before any icy conditions arrive, crews will still conduct equipment checks and drive some of the roads that require attention. This prep work can make all the difference in keeping roads as safe as possible.

"We're really just checking the spreaders and plows because those are equipment that we only use during winter weather events. We know whether or not the trucks are operable," he said. "It's the spreaders and plows that are very specific to winter weather. So we have to make sure that those are good."

Boulware also wanted to remind drivers to watch out for NCDOT maintenance crews when they're out in the elements working.

"Give the truck as much room as possible," he said. "Their goal is to push snow. So expect snow to be going to the right or the left. And you know, please just give the truck space and be patient behind the truck. And we'll see through that, that the road's getting clear."