VDOT News - Statewide

RICHMOND, Va. – Winter weather will impact the Commonwealth again Sunday in the early morning hours with freezing rain and icy conditions. The Virginia Department of Transportation urges drivers to avoid travel during freezing rain and to use caution Sunday morning as icy conditions are expected in the northern and northwestern parts of Virginia. Sub-freezing temperatures may remain statewide, so any wet pavement should be considered ice overnight Saturday and Sunday morning until temperatures rise midday.

Areas along the interstate 81 and 66 corridors are expected to have the greatest impact from this storm, and icing is possible across those adjacent regions of Northern Virginia and along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

VDOT crews will be staged in these impacted regions for treatment operations with sand and salt, as needed, on icy patches or slick spots to improve motorist traction. Teams will patrol and monitor road conditions until temperatures improve Sunday.

Winter weather driving tips:

• Give crews time to treat roads.
• If possible, avoid travel until precipitation stops and road conditions improve.
• If you must travel during adverse weather conditions:
  • Allow plenty of time to reach your destination
  • Keep a safe distance of at least five seconds behind the vehicle ahead of you
  • Brake very lightly to keep your tires from slipping on pavement
  • Do not pass snow plows
• Keep an emergency winter weather kit in your vehicle which includes food, water, first aid materials, tools and blankets in the event of a breakdown or stoppage.
• Visit 511Virginia.org for the latest road conditions before traveling.

For more information on winter weather travel, visit virginiadot.org/travel/snow.asp.

Resources:

• To report hazardous road conditions or talk to a customer service representative, call VDOT’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623) or visit online at vdot.virginia.gov.
• VDOT recently partnered with Waze to add a new feature to the navigation software app that allows users to report, in real-time during winter weather, when a road has not been plowed. It will also inform travelers when they are approaching a road that has been identified by other drivers as unplowed.
• Traffic information is also available on Twitter @511statewideVA; for general VDOT information, follow @VaDOT.

Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.