Most roadways in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands are snow covered as of late Monday morning. The winter storm has already brought 2 to 6 inches of snow, and is expected to transition to sleet and freezing rain this afternoon and evening.
This will create dangerous icy driving conditions, The Virginia Department of Transportation advises motorists to avoid non-essential travel.
Northbound Interstate 81 is closed near the Warren/Frederick County line due to cleanup operations from a tractor-trailer accident. The location is near mile marker 300 at the junction with Interstate 66. Northbound I-81 traffic is using I-66 as a detour route. I-81 is expected to reopen sometime this afternoon.
The VDOT Staunton District has 850 pieces of equipment for this storm. Crews will work 12-hour shifts with approximately 1000 people per shift including VDOT and contractor crews. VDOT is working with utility and tree trimming crews in preparation for possible downed trees and debris due to icing.
VDOT’s goal is to make every state-maintained road passable within 48 hours after the end of a winter storm.
Here are the conditions as of 11 a.m. Monday:
- Interstate 64 – Moderate conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge and Augusta counties.
- Interstate 66 – Minor conditions in Warren County.
- Interstate 81 – Moderate conditions in Rockbridge, Augusta and Rockingham counties. Minor conditions in Shenandoah and Frederick counties.
- Primary roads – Moderate conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge, Bath, Highland, Augusta, Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah, Frederick and Warren counties. Minor conditions in Clarke County.
- Secondary roads – Moderate conditions in all counties.
Portions of Route 606 (Sulphur Spring Road) in Alleghany County and Route 758 (Woodstock Tower Road) in Shenandoah County have been closed to through traffic for this storm. Both are narrow roadways through mountainous terrain, and can be dangerous during winter weather. The roads will reopen when conditions allow.
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.
Traffic alerts and traveler information also are available at 511Virginia.org. On the go? Then visit VDOT’sFree Virginia 511 Tools to get your 511 app for android or iOS. Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511.
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’s roads. Get our web-based VDOT Customer Service app here
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.
The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.
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Chris Graham
