(WAVY) — Amid freezing conditions that is putting a damper on snow and ice melting, especially on secondary and rural roads across northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, the North Carolina and Virginia transportation departments are urging caution for the region's drivers if they venture out. NCDOT specifically asked people to stay off roads in central and eastern North Carolina unless travel is absolutely necessary. "We have significant amounts of snow and slick roads in areas of the state that don't often see a lot of snowfall," said North Carolina state transportation secretary Joey Hopkins. "We're working hard to clear our interstates and primary roads of snow and ice. ... The sunshine will help melt some of this, but as temperatures are likely to remain below freezing for the next few nights, many roads may remain unsafe for travel into the weekend, so please stay home and off the roads if at all possible." NCDOT crews and contractors, about 2,000 of them, have been responding with trucks equipped with snow plows and salt spreaders, plowing snow-covered roads across eastern North Carolina since snow began falling Tuesday. They will continue working in shifts until all state-maintained roads are clear. The hardest hit areas in North Carolina have been in the Elizabeth City and Outer Banks areas of the state. Since snow began falling, NCDOT crews and contractors have spread more than 953,000 gallons of brine, and another 15,000 tons of salt. North Carolina's second large winter storm of 2025 brought trace amounts of snow in the Charlotte and Triad areas, along with several inches in many eastern localities and more than eight inches in some areas along the coast. Most mountain communities were not impacted by the latest storm. NCDOT is focused on clearing U.S. and N.C. highways first, then the most-heavily traveled secondary roads. Some NCDOT crews in the western part of the state loaded their plows and spreader trucks Tuesday and Wednesday to help out in the harder-hit eastern areas. Before the winter storm hit, NCDOT and its contractors spread 2.8 million gallons of brine on roads. The NCDOT Ferry Division suspended operations on all seven coastal routes Wednesday, and they will resume normal operations when it is safe. Virginia roads VDOT said interstates on the Southside and Peninsula were clear as of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday as its crews continue to clear shoulders, ramps and gore areas, and operations continue on state-maintained primary routes. Still, VDOT asks that drivers limit or delay non-essential travel Wednesday evening through the Thursday morning rush hour until conditions improve further. Most state-maintained primary routes have isolated spots of snow, ice or slush on the roads. It said once crews have addressed most primary routes, crews will move onto secondary rounds and subdivision streets, which was anticipated to happen Wednesday afternoon. VDOT maintains all interstates, major state-maintained primary routes and county roads in Hampton Roads, while individual municipalities maintain their own roads, including primary and secondary routes. The agency said to expect icy conditions, especially on overpasses, bridges and shaded areas that are prone to freezing first, as temperatures are not expected to get above 32 degrees until Thursday afternoon. VDOT crews have been working in 12-hour shifts since Tuesday evening