“Stay Home and Stay Safe: VDOT’s Winter Storm Advisory for the Staunton District!”

STAUNTON – All travel in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands should be postponed to circumvent Sunday afternoon and evening, January 5, and into Monday, January 6. Crews and contractors from the Virginia Department of Transportation will be fully occupied with snow and ice removal efforts as a severe winter storm approaches the Commonwealth of Virginia. Accumulations of a foot of snow or more are possible in certain regions, alongside a combination of snow and ice in other areas of the state. Travel will be exceedingly perilous and should be avoided. The public is urged to refrain from travel and allow the crews to work on keeping the roadways open and navigable.

Expecting bare pavement during and for some time after the storm is unrealistic, as very heavy snowfall rates are anticipated for several hours. Crews will persist in plowing and treating roadways to ensure they are passable.

VDOT crews and contractors will be positioned late this afternoon and into the evening to commence snow removal operations as soon as the winter weather arrives. They will function on 12-hour shifts throughout this weather occurrence.

All interstate highways and major primary as well as secondary roads have been pre-treated with brine.

Clearing and treating roadways to make them passable will likely require a few days. Most temperatures for the week are predicted to remain below freezing.

VDOT is tasked with snow removal on all state-maintained roadways, while cities and certain towns maintain their roads, including the counties of Arlington and Henrico. VDOT may assist cities and towns upon request.  

Priorities for snow removal are outlined as follows: 

• The Interstate Highway System and limited-access roads are VDOT’s top priority.  
• Primary roads (routes numbered 1 to 599) and significant secondary roads (routes numbered 600 and up) that serve critical emergency and public facilities, or those with high traffic volumes, will be cleared along with interstate and limited-access roadways as resources allow.  
• Low-traffic secondary roads and subdivision streets will be treated once higher-priority routes are completed and additional resources are accessible. 

For road information, refer to 511 at its updated URL and website: https://511.vdot.virginia.gov/. The 511 site features traffic cameras, current accident sites, weather conditions, and more. The public can sign up for 511 alerts to be sent to their personal devices. On the VDOT 511 website, roads with snow and ice conditions will be designated minor, moderate, severe, or closed. To see a text list of weather-related road conditions, go to https://511.vdot.virginia.gov/, look at the blue bar at the top of the page, click on “Road Reports”, and then select “Road Conditions”. Use the dropdown box that lists all jurisdictions. In this box, individual counties can be selected for viewing. Applications for Virginia’s 511 system are also available for Android and iOS devices.

Definitions for road conditions:

Closed – Road is closed to all traffic.
Severe – drifting or partially obstructed road. 
Moderate – snow or ice covering significant portions of the roadway.  
Minor – bare pavement with isolated spots of snow, ice, or slush. Driving with caution is advised.

Another resource for information is the VDOT website. Type in “winter weather” in the search bar located at the center of the home page. Follow the links to the winter page for driving tips, snow removal procedures, travel kit items, and further resources.

If travel is necessary during wintery conditions, be vigilant for elevated roadways such as bridges and overpasses that are prone to freezing first. The traveling public should also be cautious of falling tree limbs and tree debris on roadways resulting from heavy, wet snow or ice.

The VDOT Customer Service Center can be accessed via its mobile-friendly website at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov/. Representatives are available 24/7 every day of the year to assist the public. Individuals can also call the VDOT Customer Service Center at 800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623).

The Staunton District X (Twitter) feed can be found at @VaDOTStaunton. The VDOT Staunton District operates a group page on Facebook. Follow VDOT’s statewide accounts on Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube.

VDOT statewide X feeds are available at @VaDOT. The nine districts can be located at: Hampton Roads @VaDOTHR; Richmond @VaDOTRVA; Northern Virginia @VaDOTNOVA; Fredericksburg @VaDOTFred; Culpeper @VaDOTCulp; Lynchburg @VaDOTLynchburg; Bristol @VaDOTBristol; Salem @VaDOTSalem; and Staunton @VaDOTStaunton.

The VDOT Staunton District encompasses Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany, and Bath counties.

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