Hard freeze makes it hard to drive on secondary roads in the Shenandoah Valley

STAUNTON — (4 a.m.) Road surfaces that were wet or slushy on Tuesday afternoon have become icy early Wednesday morning in the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands. Road salt is less effective when temperatures drop into the single digits and low teens. The Virginia Department of Transportation mixes abrasives into its salt treatments to improve traction, but drivers should be extremely cautious.

Interstates and most primary roads in the 11-county VDOT Staunton District were clear and dry before the overnight refreeze. Secondary roads have been plowed but will have patches of ice. Surfaces that appear wet should be considered icy and potentially hazardous. Conditions will improve on Wednesday as the sun and temperatures rise.

VDOT Staunton District crews have been engaged in snow-removal operations since midnight Sunday night, and continue to plow and treat roadways as needed. Here are the road conditions as of 4 a.m. Wednesday:

Interstates 64 – Clear conditions in Alleghany, Rockbridge and Augusta counties.

Interstates 66 – Clear conditions in Warren County.

Interstates 81 – Clear conditions in Rockbridge, Augusta, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Frederick counties.

Primary roads – Minor conditions in Alleghany County. Clear conditions in Bath, Rockbridge, Highland, Augusta, Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah, Frederick, Clarke and Warren counties.

Secondary roads – Minor conditions in Alleghany, Bath, Rockbridge, Highland, Augusta, Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah, Frederick, Clarke and Warren counties.

VDOT provides statewide road conditions and traffic cameras at 511Virginia.org. 511 apps are available for Android and iOS devices. Roads with snow 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.

Access the VDOT Customer Service Center at its mobile friendly website: my.vdot.virginia.gov. Agents are on site 24/7 to assist the public. Reach the VDOT Customer Service Center by phone at 800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623).

The VDOT Staunton District is on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Follow VDOT statewide accounts on Facebook, Flickr, X and YouTube. The VDOT website is www.vdot.virginia.gov and includes a weather safety page.

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

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