Avoid travel Tuesday morning in the Shenandoah Valley due to ice and snow

STAUNTON — (4 a.m.) The Virginia Department of Transportation continues to warn motorists not to travel in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands. Five to 10 inches of mixed precipitation fell on the region Sunday afternoon through Monday night, leaving many roads coated with ice and snow.

A hard freeze into Tuesday morning has created icy patches on previously plowed and treated roads. Those who must travel should use extreme caution, and be extra alert for refreezing on bridges and overpasses. What appears to be bare pavement may actually be a sheet of ice.

VDOT continues to work on roadways throughout the 11-county Staunton District. Interstates and many primary roads are passable, and crews are making steady progress on secondary routes and neighborhood streets.

Here are the road conditions as of 4 a.m. in the VDOT Staunton District:

• Interstate 64 – Minor conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge and Augusta counties.
• Interstate 66 – Moderate conditions in Warren County.
• Interstate 81 – Minor conditions in Rockbridge, Augusta, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Frederick counties.
• Primary roads – Moderate conditions in Augusta County. Moderate to minor conditions in Shenandoah and Frederick counties. Minor conditions in Alleghany, Bath, Rockbridge, Highland, Rockingham, Page, Clarke and Warren counties.
• Secondary roads – Moderate conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge, Highland Augusta, Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah, Frederick, Clarke and Warren counties. Minor conditions in Bath County.

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. See VDOT’s statewide and district social-media channels.

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