Shared by IRPO–Emissions Inspections to End in 26 N.C. Counties

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​RALEIGH – The Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 24 approved a reduction in North Carolina counties required to perform yearly vehicle emissions tests.

Beginning Dec. 1, 2018—26 additional counties will no longer be required to conduct emissions tests.

Those counties include:

  • Brunswick
  • Burke
  • Caldwell
  • Carteret
  • Catawba
  • Chatham

  • Cleveland

  • Craven
  • Edgecombe
  • Granville
  • Harnett
  • Haywood
  • Henderson
  • Lenoir
  • Moore
  • Nash
  • Orange
  • Pitt
  • Robeson

  • Rutherford

  • Stanly
  • Stokes
  • Surry
  • Wayne
  • Wilkes
  • Wilson
Polk and McDowell counties were already exempt from the emissions requirement.

The approval was a result of the passage of Senate Bill 131 (Regulatory Reform Act of 2016-2017) by the General Assembly during the 2017 long session.  Michael Regan, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, has certified the Implementation Plan to the EPA making Dec. 1 as the date the reduction becomes effective.  Details of the plan can be found on the website of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.

All counties will still require the safety inspection. Fifty-two counties already do not require annual vehicle emissions tests.  After Dec. 1, emissions inspections will still be required in 22 counties. Those include Alamance, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Cumberland, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Franklin, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Johnston, Lee, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Onslow, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Union and Wake counties.

A list of counties required to perform yearly emissions inspections, as well as information on emissions and safety inspections, is available on the NCDMV website.

Shared by IRPO–NCDOT: Stay Off Roads as Conditions Worsen

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Drivers Could Impede Hurricane Response and Recovery

RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation continues to urge drivers to stay off the roads, as the rain continues and conditions are getting worse by the hour. As of Sunday morning, there were more than 600 road closures across the state.

While residents may feel the need to check on homes and vacation properties in southeastern North Carolina, they will likely impede state and local response and recovery.

“The flooding we are seeing in our state is unprecedented and road conditions are changing rapidly,” said state Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdon. “If you are not in an evacuation area, stay in place.”

While some areas might reopen some local roads and bridges later today, travel from central to southeastern North Carolina is dangerous and unreliable.

By traveling in potentially hazardous areas, drivers are putting themselves and others at risk and impeding access for critical personnel – emergency services, utilities, road crews – responding to this storm.

GPS navigation systems also are not able to keep up with the changing road closures and are directing people onto roads that are confirmed closed and/or flooded.

To get an idea on road conditions, which are rapidly changing, go to DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.

***NCDOT***

 

 

Shared by IRPO–NCDOT Helping with Evacuations, Opening Facility for Emergency Response Headquarters

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Division 13 crews preparing for hurricane

RALEIGH – State transportation officials are helping with evacuations along the coast, readying emergency supplies and finalizing preparations for Hurricane Florence.

Ferries

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division evacuated 2,181 people and transported 1,074 vehicles from Ocracoke on the Hatteras, Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes between 1 p.m. Monday and today when the last ferry left Ocracoke. The division suspended ferry operations from Ocracoke after Wednesday morning’s trips. All ferries are being placed in safe harbor and will be secured to different docks until conditions improve.

Highways

NCDOT staff in all 100 counties – including Division 13’s Burke, Rutherford, McDowell, Buncombe, Madison, Yancey and Mitchell counties – have prepared equipment for possible clearing efforts, shoulder repairs and crossline replacements that can be used in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. A total of 2,166 employees in all 14 NCDOT divisions have been preparing for Hurricane Florence.

In some areas of North Carolina, crews have staged equipment in different areas so it can be available once cleanup and recovery begins. Generators have been checked and readied, and traffic services offices are staging message boards and loading emergency trailers with barricades, signs and drums. NCDOT staff have made arrangements to have contractors on standby ready to respond to any storm-related tasks such as cutting and removing downed trees from roads.

NCDOT is also preparing active transportation projects for potential impacts. Erosion and control measures have been checked and staff are making sure earth-moving equipment and cranes are secure.

Aviation

On the Outer Banks Monday, NCDOT staff flew drones from Hatteras north to Kitty Hawk at all traditional “hot spots” to obtain overhead video of pre-storm conditions. Fifteen NCDOT drones and multiple teams of pilots are being readied for post-event damage assessment.

The division is also monitoring the status of North Carolina’s public airports.

Global TransPark

Staff at the Global TransPark, an industrial park in Kinston and a division of the NCDOT, are preparing the facility to serve as a headquarters for emergency rescue and response operations in eastern North Carolina. By Wednesday, 1,500 federal and state emergency response personnel and military crews from North Carolina and the rest of the nation will be stationed at the Global TransPark. Team members with different skill sets will respond to emergency requests for help and be deployed to help clear roads, rescue people by water, land and air and support the operation.

The emergency rescue and response facility at the Global TransPark will be fully operational by Wednesday. In addition to housing emergency response crews, the facility also will be used to store thousands of emergency supplies, including rescue boats and aircraft, meals ready to eat, and medical supplies.

The Global TransPark also served as an incident command post for emergency response operations during the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

Division of Motor Vehicles

Thirty-one driver license offices in eastern North Carolina and some in central areas of the state were closed by noon Wednesday in preparation for Hurricane Florence. Road tests and mobile office visits were canceled in those affected areas. About 25 license plate offices were expected to close by the end of the day Wednesday and could remain closed for the rest of the week, depending on the weather.

Closures and changes to office hours can be found on the office locations page of the official NCDMV website at MyNCDMV.gov. Many DMV services, including renewing driver licenses, ordering duplicate ID cards or renewing vehicle registration, can be done online.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.

***NCDOT***