The snow removal mantra - "brine, salt and plow" - got rolled out in a big way as state and Triangle crews continued to chip away at the aftermath of the weekend winter storm.
But there were varying degrees of success in how well streets were cleared of ice and snow. Many secondary roads were still encased in ice Monday morning, and there are worries of black ice appearing for today's morning commute. At some intersections, melting water may have collected and refrozen overnight.
"My biggest advice to the motoring public is: Don't get a false sense of security," said Jason Holmes, an N.C. Department of Transportation maintenance engineer in charge of Wake County.
By Monday afternoon, state transportation crews were still trying to clear out secondary roadways. Meanwhile, top officials answered questions about the decision to yank crews from working overnight Saturday and Sunday.
Temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit usually stop salt from effectively melting and breaking up ice, said Jon Nance, the Department of Transportation's chief engineer of operations.
"When you start going into the low temperatures, the low 20s, you can go and push on it, but you don't break it loose," Nance said. "When we stop being effective, we stop pushing."
DOT crews in Wake and Durham counties got off the roads about 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, then started again before daybreak, Nance said.
But in Raleigh, city crews stayed out all night, said Chris McGee, Raleigh's street superintendent. He said crews were able to push slush out of roadways well into the night because temperatures didn't drop as much as expected.
McGee said city crews had the option of quitting when DOT crews did, "but my boss said, 'Be out there.'"
Sun saves the day
The best tool ended up being one that crews had no control over - the sun, which shined on ice-packed roadways and finished the job that rock salt and heavy plows couldn't.
In Durham, 70 percent of secondary streets had been plowed to the point they were passable, said Beverly Thompson, a city spokeswoman.
"Conditions are looking pretty good: All the major routes have been cleared," she said. A crew was to come in at 3:30 a.m. today to concentrate on trouble spots, she said.
Complaints are normal, even expected, with homebound residents upset that lesser-traveled streets don't end up getting plowed, both McGee and Nance said.
"The longer it takes to get where people live, the less patient people become," Nance said.
Sleds fly off shelves
Those who did get out, looking to find some sleds to enjoy the snow, had little luck.
Burke Brothers Hardware on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh sold out of sleds by Monday. There was no more lock de-icer, either. Handyman Hardware off Raleigh's Edenton Street had just two Flexible Flyers left, leaving gaps on the wall where other wooden models with runners had been hanging, in some cases since 2005.
"My store looks so bare," Handyman owner Deana Lusk said. "The sleds were so cute up there."
But necessity breeds invention, and in Oxford, Robert Griffin fashioned "redneck snow sleds" out of car and truck hoods.
"It's just something we've always done around here," said Griffin, who runs a wrecker service. "We're out here in the country. Either truck or car works, as long as it's rolled up on the end."
Staff writer Jim Wise contributed to this report.
