Shenandoah Valley Road Conditions Improving – But Watch Out for Another Refreeze

STAUNTON – (11 a.m.) Road conditions are steadily improving in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands. Up to four inches of snow has fallen in the region since Thursday night. Additional accumulation is possible Friday afternoon, especially in the northern Shenandoah Valley.

Virginia Department of Transportation crews are plowing and treating roads throughout the 11-county Staunton District. Conditions have improved since early Friday morning, especially on interstates and primary roads. VDOT prioritizes those roadways first, followed by secondary roads and subdivision streets.

Temperatures are expected to fall well below freezing Friday night, causing wet or slushy roads to refreeze. VDOT mixes abrasives with its road salt to improve traction, but motorists should be extremely cautious when icy conditions are possible.

VDOT provides statewide road conditions and traffic cameras at 511Virginia.org and on 511 mobile apps. Roads with snow conditions are marked minor, moderate, severe or closed.

Here are the Staunton District road conditions as of 11 a.m. Friday:

Interstate 64 – Clear conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge and Augusta counties.

Interstate 66 – Minor conditions in Warren County.

Interstate 81 – Minor conditions in Shenandoah and Frederick counties. Clear conditions in Rockbridge, Augusta and Rockingham counties.

Primary roads – Moderate conditions in Clarke and Warren counties. Moderate to minor conditions in Frederick County. Minor conditions in Bath, Rockbridge, Highland, Rockingham, Page and Shenandoah counties. Clear conditions in Alleghany and Augusta counties.

Secondary roads – Moderate conditions in Bath, Augusta, Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah Frederick, Clarke and Warren counties. Minor conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge and Highland counties.

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. Drive with caution.

Access the VDOT Customer Service Center at its mobile friendly website: my.vdot.virginia.gov. Agents are on site 24/7 to assist the public. Reach the VDOT Customer Service Center by phone at 800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623).

The VDOT Staunton District is on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Follow VDOT statewide accounts on Facebook, Flickr, X and YouTube. The VDOT website is www.vdot.virginia.gov and includes a weather safety page.

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

VDOT statewide X feeds can be found at @VaDOT. The nine districts can be found at: Hampton Roads @VaDOTHR; Richmond @VaDOTRVA; Northern Virginia @VaDOTNOVA;  Fredericksburg @VaDOTFred; Culpeper @VaDOTCulp; Lynchburg @VaDOTLynchburg; Bristol @VaDOTBristol; Salem @VaDOTSalem; and Staunton @VaDOTStaunton.