Art Hartzog, county maintenance manager with the NCDOT, said his crews began pretreating the roads around midnight with liquid salt, or brine.

"We've been experimenting with calcium, which helps when the temperatures get below freezing, especially in the 20s, and it’s a little more effective than the salt brine, especially with ice," he said.

Trucks are currently continuing to treat the Interstate first. The crews work from a priority list, starting with the Interstate, then primary NC and US routes. Then, they move on to rural areas and secondary roads, he said.

"Overall I think we’re in pretty good shape. Even though the ground was real cold, it was dry and the sun was out so we were able to pre-treat with a liquid solution," he said.

Crews are fully staffed and are treating icy spots as ...