VDOT News - Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews are treating road surfaces and plowing several inches of snow off state-maintained roads in the Fredericksburg area, Northern Neck and western Middle Peninsula this morning, as several of snow fell overnight.

Motorists should continue to stay off the roads during the storm. Heavy snowfall is anticipated to fall Sunday morning, which will significantly limit motorist visibility and make travel hazardous.

Delaying travel is the safest choice for motorists. It also gives VDOT crews and equipment additional space to apply sand and salt to road surfaces and to plow accumulated snow from the travel lanes.

Overnight, VDOT crews applied sand and salt to roads to reduce icing and improve traction. As snow accumulation reached 2 inches, trucks began plowing on priority routes for snow removal, including Interstate 95, primary roads, and high-volume secondary routes, and routes leading to public safety and emergency services.

With intense snowfall anticipated Sunday, crews expect to make repeated passes on I-95 and other primary roads to treat them and remove snow to keep travel lanes clear.

On the eastern end of the Middle Peninsula, where rain is falling, roads in Gloucester and Mathews counties are clear.

VDOT’s emergency response will continue 24 hours a day through the storm and beyond. Crews will work in 12-hour rotating shifts until all state-maintained roads are passable and safe for travel. Currently, around 750 trucks are available and engaged to apply treatment materials and plow roads as part of the emergency response in the Fredericksburg District.

What Residents Should Know

• Motorists are asked to continue staying off the roads this morning, and to remain off the roads until the end of the storm.
• With heavy snowfall anticipated Sunday, crews expect to make repeated passes on Interstate 95 and other priority routes to remove snow and apply sand and salt.
• VDOT crews focus their efforts first on clearing roads that carry the most traffic. Leading priorities for snow removal are I-95, primary roads (routes numbered 599 and below), and secondary roads (routes numbered 600 and above) that carry heavy traffic, or connect with critical public safety and emergency services.
• Once conditions improve on priority routes, crews focus next on subdivision streets and lower-volume secondary roads.
• Our goal is to have all roads passable 48 hours after the storm’s end.

Online Snowplow Tracker

VDOT’s online snowplow tracker at vdotplows.org has been activated in Fredericksburg District where 2 inches of snow has accumulated.

Residents can enter their address to see the status of snow plowing in their neighborhood.

511Virginia

Check 511Virginia for real-time road conditions statewide.

Motorists can download the free mobile 511 app for Apple and Android devices to stay connected, visit www.511virginia.org, or reach 511Virginia by calling 511 from any phone in Virginia.

VDOT Customer Service Center

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 (367-7623) and online at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov.

Additional VDOT Information Sources

• Find VDOT Fredericksburg District news releases online on VDOT’s website, www.VirginiaDOT.org, under “Newsroom.”
• Follow VDOT on Twitter @VaDOT and @VaDOTFRED
• Connect with us on Facebook on our VDOT page, and VDOT Fredericksburg District group page.

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VDOT’s 14-county Fredericksburg District includes the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford in the Fredericksburg area; Northumberland, Richmond, Lancaster and Westmoreland counties in the Northern Neck; Essex, Gloucester, King & Queen, King William, Mathews and Middlesex counties in the Middle Peninsula.

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.