Avoid Monday morning travel in the Shenandoah Valley – give plows room to work

STAUNTON — (4 a.m.) Snow and ice are impacting roadways throughout the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands early Monday morning. The Virginia Department of Transportation advises motorists to avoid travel during — and well after — the winter storm. Up to 6 inches of snow have already fallen in the region, and sleet or freezing rain are mixing with snow in some locations.

VDOT crews and contractors in the 11-county VDOT Staunton District have been plowing and treating roadways since Sunday evening. They will continue working around the clock until all roadways are passable. This is likely to take a few days due to the size and intensity of the storm. Temperatures for most of the week are forecasted to remain below freezing.

As of 4 a.m. Monday, moderate road conditions are reported throughout the VDOT Staunton District, including interstates and primary roads. This means that snow and ice cover major parts of the roadway.

VDOT is responsible for snow removal on all state-maintained roads as follows: 

• The Interstate Highway System and limited-access roadways are VDOT’s first priority.  
• Primary roads (routes numbered 1 to 599) and major secondary routes (numbered 600 and up) with vital emergency and public facilities, or those with high-traffic volumes, will be cleared along with interstate and limited-access roadways as resources allow.  
• Low-volume secondary roads and subdivision streets will be treated after higher-priority routes are completed and additional resources are available. 

For road information, check 511 at its updated URL and website: https://511.vdot.virginia.gov/. Apps for Virginia’s 511 system are also available for Android and iOS devices. 511 has traffic cameras, current crash locations, weather conditions and more. The public can sign-up for 511 alerts to be sent to their personal device. Roads with snow and ice conditions are marked minor, moderate, severe or closed.

Road condition definitions:

• Closed – Road is closed to all traffic.
• Severe – drifting or partially blocked road.
• Moderate – snow or ice on major portions of the roadway. 
• Minor – bare pavement except for isolated spots of snow, ice or slush.  Driving with caution is recommended.

Another information source is the VDOT website: https://www.vdot.virginia.gov, which includes a dedicated weather travel page.

The VDOT Customer Service Center can be accessed through its mobile friendly website at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov/. Agents are on site 24/7 every day of the year to assist the public. People can also call the VDOT Customer Service Center at 800-FOR- ROAD (800-367-7623).

The Staunton District X (Twitter) feed is at @VaDOTStaunton. The VDOT Staunton District has a group page on Facebook. Follow VDOT statewide accounts on Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube. Links to all of VDOT’s statewide and district social-media channels are found here.

The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.