The weather is still frigid and forecast to stay that way until Thursday but in Dade, county roads are now passable after Tuesday’s snow. “People are traveling,” said County Executive Ted Rumley by phone Wednesday morning. “You’ve just got to use common sense."
He said county crews had worked until 3:30 this morning salting and clearing roads, and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) crews had been doing the same with the state thoroughfares. “We’ve had problems with refreezing,” said Rumley.
Burkhalter Gap, the particularly precipitous road up Lookout, has been salted and resalted, said the county boss, and was navigable now though drivers should use caution. Shaded areas such as several found on Mount Olive Road may still have icy spots, and Rumley said the county office had been kept busy with calls. “But we’ve not had any major problems,” he said.
Slick roads caused auto accidents Tuesday evening on Burkhalter Gap and Sarah’s Chapel, with injuries though The Planet has not yet received reports as to how serious. (The Georgia State Patrol public information office is closed because of the weather, and local law enforcement and emergency services are sort of busy.)
In the north end of the county, more problems were caused by blocked railway crossings when a Norfolk Southern train stopped on the tracks after the engine slipped off the tracks. Rumley said it was the small hours of this morning before all the train cars had been pulled aside, but he said the crossings were now clear.
Rumley warned residents not just to use caution in driving but also to be careful about being outside in general in the extreme, single-digit cold. “It’s a different kind of cold,” he said.
With snow heavier in the Atlanta area than it was here, GDOT says its crews are still trying to clear major roads and would appreciate it if motorists stayed home and gave them room to do it. “If you have to drive, please slow down and stay behind the snowplows,” said a press release from GDOT’s Cartersville office. “The road behind the plow will be the safest place to drive."
GDOT also reminded drivers they can call 511 or visit http://www.511ga.org/ to get current information on road conditions.
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