An increase in snowfall and cold temperatures on Wednesday led to rapidly deteriorated road conditions in Orange County and the surrounding area — causing several crashes and traffic slowdowns.
Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood shared an alert on social media and through his office’s app around 4:45 p.m. saying conditions are “treacherous” Wednesday evening for rural roads, secondary roads and interstates. He described emergency responders as being “overwhelmed” by reports of crashes, stranded vehicles, pile-ups, and spun cars and trucks
“No matter how well your vehicle performs or how fantastic of a winter-weather driver you are,” wrote Blackwood, “the obstacles are many and the risks are high. Please stay home if you can, drive slowly if you can’t and bring warm clothing with you. Chances are good you are going to end up roadside for quite some time, and the wait for a tow truck is long.”
In his posts, the sheriff included photos of some of the afternoon’s crashes — including one photo of a sedan upside-down off the side of Old North Carolina 86, just north of Calvander. He also mentioned first responders addressing a 53-vehicle pile-up reported on Interstate 40 in near Orange County’s exit 261 shortly after 3 p.m. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol later confirmed one person died after his car was struck by a tractor trailer as vehicles bowled into each other in a series of crashes.
In Chapel Hill, officials similarly warned of deteriorating road conditions. Both Hillsborough Street at Bolinwood Drive and Estes Drive at Halifax Road were briefly closed before being plowed and re-opened. Any additional road closures in town can be found on Chapel Hill’s emergency update webpage.
The hazardous road conditions led UNC and its men’s basketball program to urge all attendees to Wednesday’s home game vs. N.C. State to walk instead of drive to the Dean Smith Center. The university said it would open up the game for free to all attendees — but requested people to only make the journey if the arena is in walking distance because of the snow and freezing temperatures.
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