Staunton District: Secondary roads now the focus for VDOT in snow removal

The Virginia Department of Transportation continues the work of plowing thousands of miles of Shenandoah Valley roadways that were covered in 18 to 36 inches of snow. Interstates and most primary roads are now clear. VDOT Staunton District crews and contractors are focused on plowing and widening secondary routes.

VDOT had closed several exits on Interstate 81 in the Staunton District because truck-stop parking lots were full, creating the risk of stopped tractor trailers on the interstate. All exit ramps have now reopened.

VDOT’s goal is to make at least one pass with a snow plow on every state-maintained road within 48 hours after the end of a winter storm. Here are the conditions as of 11 a.m. Monday:

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

For winter weather road conditions go to 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.

For other assistance call the VDOT Customer Service Center, available 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week. Citizens can dial 1-800-FOR- ROAD (1-800-367-7623) from anywhere in the state to report road hazards, ask transportation questions, or get information related to Virginia roads.

The Staunton District Twitter feed is at @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 www.VirginiaDOT.org.