VDOT making steady progress on Shenandoah Valley roadways

The Virginia Department of Transportation continues plowing and treating roads throughout the Staunton District, which includes 11 counties in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands. Approaching mid-day Friday, interstates and most primary roads are clear. Secondary routes are in minor to moderate condition, which indicates varying amounts of snow or ice.

Motorists should be alert for re-freezing Friday night and early Saturday when temperatures are expected to drop into the teens. VDOT urges drivers to adjust their speed for weather conditions, allow for much longer stopping distances, and leave extra time to reach their destination. Drive defensively and wear a seatbelt.

VDOT first plows interstates, primary roads, and major secondary roads with vital emergency and public facilities, or those with high traffic volumes. Secondary roads and subdivision streets are treated in the event of a multi-day storm, but crews focus initially on roadways that are traveled most.

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

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

Interstate 66 – Clear conditions in Warren County.

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

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

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

For winter weather road conditions go to http://www.511Virginia.org, look at the orange bar on the top of the page and click on “Text Views” and then click on “Road Condition Table”. Look at the pull-down box that lists all jurisdictions. In this box, individual counties can be chosen to view.

On the go? Then visit VDOT’s Free Virginia 511 Tools to get your 511 app for android or iOS. Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511.

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 Snow Page is on the VDOT website under Travel Center Snow Emergency Pages. The Staunton District Twitter feed is at @VaDOTStaunton.

VDOT statewide Twitter messages 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; Staunton @VaDOTStaunton.

VDOT can be followed on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube. RSS feeds are also available for statewide information. The VDOT Web page is located at http://www.VirginiaDOT.org.

Road condition definitions:
Severe – drifting or partially blocked the road.
Moderate – snow or ice on major portions of the roadway.
Minor – bare pavement except for isolated spots of snow, ice, or slush.