On Tuesday night, snow and ice started to build up on the coast of North Carolina, causing major difficulties. Due to dangerous conditions, a number of bridges that connect to beach islands in the southern region of the state were blocked.
Wilmington was preparing for as much as five inches of snow, but Brunswick County, located to the south, was expecting a little less. Officials warned that the winter storm might last until Wednesday. A winter storm warning was issued for the entire North Carolina coast.
On Tuesday night, heavy snow began to fall at the beaches in Brunswick County, blanketing the landscape in a thick layer of snow.
At Holden Beach, the snow was falling so quickly that children were able to go outside and play in the strange weather by making snowballs.
However, the heavy snowfall made the situation dangerous, particularly on the bridges that lead to the islands. Travel was risky due to the ice surfaces, which led officials to close the bridges for safety reasons.
Sunset Beach, which is located close to the South Carolina border, was the first to decide to shut down its bridge.
Because of the slippery conditions, authorities made the decision to close the single bridge to the island at 9:40 p.m.
“The roads are becoming icy and the decision was made to close the bridge until conditions improve,” Sunset Beach Police stated.
At 9:25 p.m., just 15 minutes prior, the single bridge to Ocean Isle Beach was closed for the same reasons. According to the police, the icy roads had become too unsafe for vehicles to drive on safely.
“Odell Williamson Bridge is closed to all traffic. Increased accumulation of winter precipitation has created unsafe traveling conditions,” Ocean Isle Beach Police stated.
The situation was just as bad at Holden Beach, which is to the east.
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On Tuesday night, the municipality had to shut down its only bridge for around one hour due to a vehicle that almost collided and lost control.
Officials stated that the icy conditions made it too dangerous for drivers to navigate the bridge, which includes a hairpin turn as it approaches the island.
The bridge was reopened and declared “passable” by municipal officials after crews worked to treat the bridge and enhance the road conditions. After the roads were made safer for travel, inhabitants and visitors were finally able to return to the island, even if it had been closed for a short period of time.
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“Driving conditions are still very hazardous and motorists are encouraged to remain off the roadways. If conditions deteriorate, the bridge is subject to being closed again,” Holden Beach officials stated.