[Durham INC] City of Durham Preparing for Winter Weather

[Blalock, Amy]

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CITY OF DURHAM
Office of Public Affairs
101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC 27701

News Release


News Media Contact:
Amy Blalock
Sr. Public Affairs Specialist
(919) 560-4123 x 11253
(919) 475-7735 (cell)
Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov<mailto:Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov>
http://Facebook.com/CityofDurhamNC
http://Twitter.com/CityofDurhamNC
http://YouTube.com/CityofDurhamNC


For Immediate Release: January 28, 2014


City of Durham Preparing for Winter Weather Forecast
Motorists Urged to Use Caution While Driving

DURHAM, N.C. -With winter weather predicted to begin late today and last until mid-day tomorrow, the City of Durham is busy preparing to keep city streets operating smoothly.

In anticipation of today's weather, the City's Public Works Department began salt-brining operations throughout the city last night and this morning. The department focused their brining efforts on high-traffic bridges and overpasses throughout the city limits as well as on primary roads and in the downtown area. Salt-brine solution is a salt and water mix that is sprayed onto the roadway surfaces before snow and ice begins to fall, helping to prevent accumulation from bonding to the road surface.

The City's plan of action for clearing or reducing hazards on city streets is prioritized in the following order:
*         Bridges and overpasses throughout the city.
*         Major arterial streets within the city.
*         Streets to essential health facilities, police and fire stations, and critical community facilities.
*         Routes to two City fuel sites.
*         Streets within the central business district.
*         Clear access to Durham Public Schools.
*         All residential areas with priority initially to passage of emergency vehicles and then to all traffic.

The department will also have 25 to 30 trucks ready for use with either a salt/sand mixture or salt to treat streets within the city. They will also be implementing a full night shift and will have the same number of trucks covering all of the primary roads within the city. The department is also coordinating with the local NCDOT maintenance office to ensure that the State-maintained roads within the city are passable as well throughout this event.

Residents and property owners are responsible for snow and ice removal in their driveways, apartment access roads, parking lots, and sidewalks. The clearing of private streets is the responsibility of the homeowners within that subdivision. In order to facilitate snow and ice removal on city streets, residents can help by adhering to the following tips:
*         Stay off the roads if at all possible.
*         Drive very slowly and carefully. If involved in a property damage wreck, motorists should pull off the road to prevent additional accidents and remember that it may take some additional time for an officer to respond to the accident due to icy road conditions.
*         If at all possible, park cars off the street or highway to let salt-and-sand spreaders pass with ease.
*         Treat intersections with malfunctioning traffic lights as four-way stops and proceed with caution.

Decisions on the collection of curbside solid waste and recycling carts as well as bulky item and yard waste collections will be made tomorrow morning after an assessment of the condition of city streets, and if the landfill that accepts the City's trash will be open tomorrow. Residents are asked to leave their carts on their curb by 7 a.m. tomorrow in the event collections can proceed as scheduled. If collections must be suspended, residents should leave the carts at the curb overnight for collection on Thursday, weather permitting.

Residents are also reminded to be careful of any downed power lines and should report them to Duke Energy Carolinas 800-POWERON. To report downed trees on City streets, residents should contact the Durham Emergency Communications Center non-emergency line at (919) 560-4600 unless the downed tree presents an immediate, life-threatening hazard; then they should call 911.

The Durham Fire Department has also issued winter heating safety tips, which can be found at http://durhamnc.gov/Pages/NNDetails.aspx?detailId=638.

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