VDOT CREWS TO FOCUS ON CLEARING
SECONDARY ROADS, SUBDIVISIONS TODAY
Motorists should use additional caution as many low-volume
roads are icy and snow-covered

FREDERICKSBURG – With Interstate 95 clear, and bare pavement visible on primary roads, today Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews can concentrate on plowing lower-volume secondary streets and subdivisions in the Fredericksburg District.

Motorists who must travel today are advised to use additional caution, reduce their speed, and allow extra travel time.

While major travel routes are clear, drivers will find low-volume secondary roads and subdivision streets in the Fredericksburg area are partially or completely covered in snow, and ice-packed.

Surfaces that appear wet may be coated with a glaze of ice, creating slick and hazardous driving conditions, especially on bridges, ramps and overpasses, and roads carrying light traffic. VDOT crews are treating roads with sand and salt to melt ice and provide additional traction for drivers.

Crews made passes through as many subdivisions as possible yesterday and overnight to create an initial 8-foot to 10-foot path for drivers, treated with sand and salt, to open up neighborhood entrances and main roads.

Crews will return to perform plowing on every state-maintained street to make them passable. Subdivision roads will have an 8-foot to 10-foot path, but will not be cleared curb-to-curb and not to bare pavement.

As conditions improve, crews will use heavy equipment in subdivisions as needed to clear ice-packed roads.

VDOT’s goal is to have all state-maintained roads passable within 48 hours of a storm’s end.

Intersections, Turn Lanes and Shoulders

Brief, intermittent travel delays could be experienced by motorists today on primary roads as VDOT crews remove plowed snow that has accumulated at intersections, in turn lanes, and along roadway shoulders.

Stay alert for workers and equipment in these mobile work zones.

Driveway Shoveling Tips

To make as many roads passable as quickly as possible, VDOT plow operators push snow off the roadway in smooth, continuous passes. It ends up in gutters and on road shoulders, sometimes blocking driveways.

To avoid doing double work, wait until a plow has cleared your street before shoveling snow from the end of a driveway.

For motorists who must shovel the end of their driveway, shovel it to the right of your driveway as you face the road.

Road Clearing Priorities

Crews focus on clearing roads that carry the most traffic first, such as interstates, primary roads, and high-volume secondary roads.

Once these roads are clear, crews can begin to clear lower-volume secondary roads and subdivision streets.

VDOT crews are working 24 hours a day, in 12-hour shifts, until all state-maintained roads are safe for travel.

Motorist Resources

Before starting a trip, check 511Virginia for real-time road conditions across the state by calling 511 or going to 511virginia.org.

VDOT’s Customer Service Center is open 24 hours a day to answer questions and take reports of roadway hazards at 1-800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623).