Plan ahead for potentially slick Friday commutes

RICHMOND — Snow is expected to make its way across the commonwealth overnight Thursday into Friday morning, impacting roadways as temperatures remain near freezing. Drivers should keep watch on local forecasts and plan ahead for potentially icy Friday commutes.

Motorists should check road conditions to determine if it’s best to delay travel or take it slow for both morning and evening commutes on Friday. Slick spots are most likely to occur first on elevated surfaces, such as bridges, ramps and overpasses.

Ahead of the winter storm, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews and contractors have been pretreating major roadways with a brine solution to help prevent a bond from forming between pavement and snow or ice. As precipitation begins overnight and continues into Friday, crews will patrol and treat state-maintained roads with salt and sand. Into the evening hours, crews will treat for potential refreeze of wet pavement as snow and ice melt during the day. Be sure to give crews space to work.

As a reminder, VDOT prioritizes state-maintained roads that carry the most traffic for snow removal. VDOT works to make interstates and most primary roads (routes numbered 1 to 599) passable first. Crews also focus on major secondary roads (routes numbered 600 and higher) with vital emergency and public facilities or those with high traffic volumes. Low-volume secondary roads and subdivision streets will be treated after higher-priority routes are completed and additional resources are available.

If travel is necessary, drivers should use caution. Check roadway conditions by using VDOT’s free 511 mobile app, which offers information about road conditions, traffic, incidents, construction and congestion as well as access to traffic cameras, weather and more. Information is also available at 511.vdot.virginia.gov or by calling 511 while in Virginia.