RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Department of Transportation officials are continuing to urge the public to stay home as crews begin focusing on secondary roads after plowing and treating interstates and primary roads across Central Virginia.
But with expected freezing temperatures Sunday night, black ice could develop on interstate and primary roads, particularly on bridges, overpasses and shaded areas.
"This could make for slick driving conditions tonight and into the morning," officials wrote in a news release. "Residents are asked to remain patient as VDOT works aggressively to clear secondary roads and subdivision streets, where there is heavy snow pack in many areas. Even though the snow has stopped and the weather is expected to be dry in the coming days, snow removal and cleanup continues and will be very extensive."
Additionally, officials warned drivers to be on the lookout for pedestrians walking in roads, especially in more urban areas where sidewalks are blocked with deep snow.
Another difficulty may be limited sight distance and obstructed views at intersections and entrances because of the high piles of snow on the shoulders and medians.
More Info from VDOT:
- Motorists should avoid travel Sunday night and Monday morning. This will give our crews space to continue with snow removal and treatment efforts.
- Crews continue 24-hour operations in the subdivisions. Crews are focused on making at least one pass in subdivisions, but expect these roads to be snow and ice covered, particularly in Northern Virginia. In many places don’t expect bare pavement for many days due to the volume of snow that has to be removed.
- Plowing subdivision streets is an enormous job – More than 48,000 miles of secondary and subdivision roads statewide, much of that in tight spots around cars and cul-de-sacs.
- VDOT and its contractors, 9,500 strong, are using all available resources, 13,000 pieces of equipment, including snow blowers, heavy equipment and all hired equipment to remove snow.
- If residents have a serious emergency (i.e. medical or fire), they should call 9-1-1 and VDOT will work in coordination with emergency responders to get them the help they need.
- In many neighborhoods, front-end loaders and motor graders will be required to move snow where there is not enough room to push.
- Crews are asked to be mindful of pushing large piles onto driveways, but in an extreme storm is an unintended consequence of making roads passable.
- To give crews a chance to finish their plow assignments, VDOT asks that residents wait 48 hours after the storm is over before reporting “missed” roads.
If you need more information, call VDOT’s Customer Service Center at I-800-367-7623 for more information, including plowing and treatment of roadways. Visit 511virginia.org for road conditions and to view a network of 1,000 cameras showing road conditions.
VDOT Plow in Heathsville
