Deep freeze means icy roads Monday morning – and for much of the week

STAUNTON — (4 a.m.) Bitterly cold temperatures on the heels of the latest winter storm have created hazardous driving conditions throughout the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands. Roadways that were snow-covered, slushy or simply wet immediately after Sunday’s storm have become icy — and those conditions will remain in place for several days. Avoid non-essential travel throughout the region.

Crews and contractors for the Virginia Department of Transportation continue to plow or roads as needed in the 11-county VDOT Staunton District. Salt is less effective on roadways when temperatures dip below 20 degrees, so plowed and/or treated surfaces may remain icy. VDOT applies gravel and other abrasives to unpaved roads to improve traction.

Here are the road conditions as of 4 a.m. Monday in the VDOT Staunton District:

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

Weather and road conditions may vary around the state. For essential travel, check local weather sources and road conditions at 511 Virginia for your entire route before starting a trip.

The updated URL and website for 511 Virginia is https://511.vdot.virginia.gov. Apps are also available for Android and iOS devices. 511 has traffic cameras, current crash locations, weather conditions and more. The public can sign-up for 511 alerts to be sent to their personal device. Roads with snow and ice conditions are marked minor, moderate, severe or closed.

Road condition definitions:

• Closed: Road is closed to all traffic.
• Severe: Drifting or partially blocked road.
• Moderate: Snow or ice on major portions of the roadway. 
• Minor: Bare pavement except for isolated spots of snow, ice or slush.  Driving with caution is recommended.

VDOT is responsible for snow removal on all state-maintained roads as follows: 

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

Another information source is the VDOT website: https://www.vdot.virginia.gov, which includes a dedicated weather travel page.

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

The Staunton District X (Twitter) feed is at @VaDOTStaunton. The VDOT Staunton District has a group page on Facebook. Follow VDOT statewide accounts on Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube. Links to all of VDOT’s statewide and district social-media channels are found here.

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