VDOT News - Bristol

BRISTOL – With precipitation and the potential of winter weather in the forecast for Thursday and Friday, The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) asks drivers to be weather aware and adjust travel ahead of expected freezing rain and hazardous conditions.

Wintry precipitation is expected to arrive as soon as 11 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, December 21) in the Bristol District, moving northward through the western third of the state and into portions of northern Virginia through Thursday.
Periods of heavy snow are expected along the northern sections of I-81 between Standardsville and Harrisonburg early Thursday.

Temperatures are expected to drop rapidly through the day Friday, leading to the potential for refreeze in areas where the pavement remains wet.

The 12-county Bristol District has $17 million set aside for winter weather, with approximately 700 pieces of equipment ready to clear roads of snow in the Bristol District.

Key reminders:
• Make alternate arrangements to avoid travel during adverse weather.

• With extreme low temperatures expected to move in Friday, motorists, if traveling, should pack an emergency kit and blankets, and have mobile devices fully charged in the event of a breakdown or emergency.

• VDOT’s free mobile 511 app offers information about construction, traffic, incidents and congestion as well as access to traffic cameras, weather and more. Traffic information is also available at 511Virginia.org or by calling 511 from any phone. Allow crews time and space to plow and treat roads.

Interstates, primary roads and major secondary roads with vital emergency and public facilities, or those with high traffic volumes will be cleared first.

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

VDOT’s Customer Service Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Citizens can dial 1-800-FOR- ROAD (1-800-367-7623) from anywhere in the state to report road hazards, ask transportation questions, or get information related to Virginia’s roads.

The Bristol District Twitter feed is at @VDOTBristol. VDOT can be followed on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube. RSS feeds are also available for statewide information. The VDOT Web page is located at www.VirginiaDOT.org.

The VDOT Bristol District serves Lee, Scott, Wise, Dickenson, Washington, Smyth, Russell, Buchanan, Tazewell, Bland, Wythe and Grayson counties. (END)

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.