VDOT: Driving still treacherous in the Shenandoah Valley

Dangerous driving conditions persist in the Shenandoah Valley this afternoon, despite around-the-clock snow removal operations by the Virginia Department of Transportation and its contractors. At least 18 inches of snow have already fallen in most areas of the VDOT Staunton District. Blowing and drifting snow also contribute to hazardous travel.

Due to full truck stops and to keep tractor trailers from blocking Interstate 81, VDOT closed off-ramps at several exits on Friday night. Some of those off-ramps have since been reopened. On-ramps at all exits are open.

Updates:

• I-81 exit 323 in the Clear Brook area of Frederick County – northbound and southbound off ramps are closed.
• I-81 exit 291 in Toms Brook area of Shenandoah County – northbound and southbound off ramps are closed.
• I-81 exit 213 in the Greenville area of Augusta County – northbound and southbound off ramps have reopened, but the truck stop at this exit is closed. Tractor trailers can use this exit to park at Riverheads High School.
• I-81 exit 205 in the Raphine area of Rockbridge County has reopened.
• I-81 exit 195 in the Timber Ridge and Lexington area of Rockbridge County has reopened.

VDOT crews and contractors are using more than 1,000 pieces of heavy equipment to plow and treat roadways in the Staunton District. They work 12-hour shifts until all state-maintained roads are cleared, which is expected to take several days. VDOT’s goal is to have all roads passable within 48 hours after the end of a storm.

Here are the road conditions as of 12 noon Saturday:

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