Winter event impacts continue – wraparound snow and Monday night refreeze - do not travel

STAUNTON — Snow and ice conditions are present on many roadways in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands. Virginia Department of Transportation crews and contractors remain on 12-hour shifts plowing and treating roads. As the interstate and primary roads are cleared, work continues on secondary and neighborhood roads. Bare pavement should not be expected on all roadways that have been plowed. Additionally, it will take some time to get to all roads in the secondary system.

Roads may appear passable but with overnight temperatures well below freezing, icy and refreeze conditions will be prevalent throughout the area. VDOT says “Do not travel.” Treated and untreated roads can freeze over when temperatures dip into the teens or below. What appears to be bare pavement can actually be a sheet of ice.

Daytime sun warming can elevate road surface temperatures. Passable roads may yield to black pavement. People should remain aware that any elevated road surface such as culverts, bridges and overpasses freeze first or have lingering icy conditions.

Here are the road conditions as of 5 p.m.:

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

VDOT is responsible for snow removal on all state-maintained roads, while all cities and some towns maintain their roads, including Arlington and Henrico counties. VDOT may support cities and towns, if requested. 

Snow removal priorities are 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 roads (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/. The 511 site 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.

On the VDOT 511 website roads with snow and ice conditions will be marked minor, moderate, severe or closed. To view a text listing of weather road conditions, go to https://511.vdot.virginia.gov, look at the blue bar on the top of the page and click on “Road Reports” and then click on “Road Conditions”. Look at the pull down box that lists all jurisdictions.  In this box individual counties can be chosen to view. Apps for Virginia’s 511 system are also available for android and iOS devices.

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 at https://www.vdot.virginia.gov. Type in “winter weather” in the search bar located in the middle of the home page. Follow the links to the winter page for driving tips, snow removal procedures, travel kit items and additional resources.

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.

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.

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