There is more rain in the forecast, but roads are reopening after the devastating flooding that hit Central Virginia during the past several days. Virginia Department of Transportation crews and contractors have worked all day to rebuild roads and bridges washed out by the surging mountain creeks and streams.
Some of the roads and bridges that have reopened have temporary repairs, such as gravel sections on paved roads or bridge approaches that washed out. Motorists should be careful and reduce speed while driving on roads affected by the surging rivers, especially in the areas where temporary repairs were made and where tree limbs and other debris deposited by the floodwaters may be on the road shoulders. VDOT urges drivers to use extra care at night when roadway hazards are more difficult to see.
Late Saturday afternoon, 20 secondary roads remain closed in VDOT’s Culpeper District. In Greene County, where the storm left the most destruction, 12 roads are still closed, down from 24 at this time Friday. Four roads in Madison County and three roads in Albemarle County are still closed as is one in Fluvanna County.
VDOT crews are making repairs as quickly as possible, with priority given to roads and bridges that provide the only access to residents on the far side of the damaged structure. One major secondary route, Route 810 (Dyke Road) in Greene County, is heavily damaged in several locations and some sections of the road will be closed through the weekend.
Route 33 across Swift Run Gap in Shenandoah National Park reopened to traffic at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Mudslides closed the road early Thursday morning when slopes along the highway gave way after torrential downpours. VDOT crews cleared mud and debris from the road and shoulders at five locations along Route 33 on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
VDOT reminds motorists never to drive through water flowing across a roadway or around closure barricades. Remember: Turn Around, Don’t Drown.
Drivers should check www.511virginia.org or the 511 mobile app for updated information about the road closures and follow @VaDOTCULP on Twitter for updates.
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