VDOT: Avoid unnecessary travel due to hazardous conditions from latest winter storm

VDOT is advising people in the Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia to avoid unnecessary travel in the wake of today’s snow and ice storm.

VDOT and contract snowplow operators are treating secondary roads (numbered 600 and above) and neighborhood streets which remain covered with snow and sleet.

Temperatures are forecast to stay below freezing until mid-morning Friday. Motorists should continue to delay non-essential travel overnight and early Friday morning.

Those who must travel should:

• 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
• Use VDOT’s free 511 tools to check road conditions along your route and at your destination

VDOT’s Customer Service Center is open 24 hours a day to answer questions and take reports of roadway hazards. Call 1-800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623) or contact us online at my.vdot.virginia.gov.

Additional information about winter-weather preparations and response can be found at www.virginiadot.org/travel/snow.asp.

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.

Local updates for the Shenandoah Valley are available on the Staunton District Snow Page. The Staunton District Twitter feed is at @VaDOTStaunton.

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

The VDOT Web page is located at www.VirginiaDOT.org.