VDOT News - Richmond

SOUTH CHESTERFIELD, Va. – Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Richmond District crews are on the move again after nearly three straight weeks of weather response, preparing for another ice storm expected to impact the district Thursday.

Crews have pretreated interstate routes in the north and western area of the district to prevent snow and ice from bonding with the pavement. Primary and high-volume secondary roads will be pretreated today in western Hanover and Goochland counties where weather is expected to begin as snow. All other routes will be monitored and addressed with salt and sand during and after the storm, since weather is expected to begin as mostly sleet and freezing rain in the district and brine would likely wash away.

Crews will first prioritize addressing hazards and ice on interstate and primary routes numbered 1-599, as well as major secondary routes numbered 600+. From there, crews will focus on lower-volume secondary and subdivision routes. Drivers should prepare for disruptions as crews work to clear major routes first.

Additional Safety Service Patrol vehicles as well as towing contractors will be on the interstates starting early Thursday to assist with traffic incidents. Tree crews will also be mobilized Thursday to remove debris or potential fallen trees from travel lanes.

“Based on the forecasts, this storm looks similar to the weekend one we’re still recovering from,” Richmond District Maintenance Engineer Sean Nelson, P.E. “On top of storm remnants from Saturday’s ice event and fatigue from back-to-back winter weather events, we are anticipating more fallen trees, downed power lines, icy road conditions and potential flooding in some areas south. We can’t stress enough that travel will likely be hazardous Thursday and into Friday morning, and drivers should prepare now to avoid travel as much as possible. As always, we appreciate drivers’ patience as the recovery process from these events will be a marathon, rather than a sprint.”

Tips for drivers

• Avoid travel during and after this event. There is no safe way to drive in icy conditions. Plan travel around winter weather – not during. Pay close attention to local forecasts and utilize VDOT’s 511 app and 511Virginia.org to check on road conditions.
• If travel is essential, avoid passing snow plows and other heavy equipment or following them too closely. Please give VDOT crews room to work.
• Report road hazards to VDOT at 800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623) or visit my.vdot.virginia.gov.

Social media

Twitter: For area information, follow @VaDOTRVA and @511centralva

Facebook: Visit VDOT’s statewide page and follow the Richmond District group: https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaDOT.

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VDOT’s Richmond District oversees road maintenance activities on approximately 19,000 lane miles of roads in 14 counties in central Virginia: Amelia, Brunswick, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico (primary routes only), Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, New Kent, Nottoway, Powhatan and Prince George counties. Henrico County provides road maintenance for their secondary roads (numbered 600 and above) and subdivision streets. Cities that provide their own road maintenance include Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg and Richmond, and the towns of Ashland, Blackstone, Chase City and South Hill.

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.