Snow making travel treacherous in Shenandoah Valley, Central Virginia

Additional snowfall from a two-day winter storm has coated many roadways Friday morning in the Shenandoah Valley, Alleghany Highlands and Charlottesville region, with bands of heavy snow extending from the Blue Ridge Mountains east through Fluvanna and Louisa counties.

VDOT is plowing and treating roads throughout the region. Motorists should postpone non-essential travel, and give VDOT crews time and room to work.

Pavement temperatures are well below freezing in most areas, creating icy conditions especially on untreated roads.

Driving on snow-covered or icy roads is dangerous and should be avoided. If you must travel:

• Clear your vehicle of all snow and ice including the roof
• Give plows room to work. Stay back from VDOT trucks and contract crews
• Drive for the conditions by reducing speed and increasing following distance
• Brake gently. Remember, it takes longer to stop in snow and ice
• Stay in control. Make smooth, precise movements with the steering wheel and anticipate lane changes, turns, and curves well in advance

Here are the road conditions as of 11 a.m. Friday in the 11-county VDOT Staunton District:

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

The website www.511Virginia.org provides traffic cameras, pavement temperatures and color-coded maps of road conditions. Under the “Text Views” tab, the site offers county-by-county listings of conditions on all types of state-maintained roadways.

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

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

Local updates for the Charlottesville area are posted to Twitter.com/VaDOTCulp and the district’s snow emergency webpage.

The VDOT Customer Service Center can be accessed through its mobile friendly website at 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).

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.