VDOT News - Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Motorists are advised to not travel during a winter storm expected to create hazardous road conditions starting as early as Friday afternoon along the I-95 corridor in the Fredericksburg area.

Snow is forecast to begin falling in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula Friday evening, and to continue across the 14-county district overnight Friday through midday Saturday. Heavy, wet snow anticipated with this storm may lead to additional road hazards such as downed trees, tree debris, and utility lines.

Several inches of snow are currently forecast for the Fredericksburg area, with heavier snow accumulation anticipated in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.

High winds are expected on Saturday, especially in coastal areas. This could lead to blowing snow, limiting motorist visibility, and high wind advisories posted on major bridges.

Travelers should plan to arrive at their destination ahead of this winter storm, or delay their trip until after the storm has ended and road conditions have improved along their route. Motorists should not travel during the storm. Travel is always hazardous when ice and snow are present on the road.

On Interstate 95 in the Fredericksburg area, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will have more than 100 pieces of equipment dedicated to plowing and treating the interstate's travel lanes, ramps, shoulders, bridges and overpasses. These trucks will repeatedly circulate over the nearly 50 miles of interstate that passes through Caroline, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties and the City of Fredericksburg.

Additionally, six heavy-duty towing crews will be located along I-95 in the region, with two crews in each county.

A team of interstate monitors, deployed in rotating 12-hour shifts, will drive the interstate to quickly identify any hazardous road conditions, and report crashes, disabled vehicles or other incidents.

Across the 14-county district, around 730 trucks will be available to plow snow and treat roads for icing and slick conditions. Crews focus first on plowing and treating roads that carry the most traffic, such as the interstate and primary routes, high-volume secondary roads, and roads that connect with critical emergency service facilities.

Tree contractors are on standby districtwide to help remove downed trees and debris that may block travel lanes.

Message boards are being placed at major river crossings in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula to notify travelers of high wind advisories.

Through Friday morning, crews will continue applying a brine solution to pre-treat primary routes, which are routes numbered 599 and below. Interstate 95 was pretreated today in the Fredericksburg area.

Crews are mobilizing in emergency response Friday afternoon, to be in place before precipitation begins.

VDOT's Fredericksburg District will have a unified command for this storm to coordinate VDOT’s response with emergency responders along the I-95 corridor in the Fredericksburg area, and this command will include representatives from Virginia State Police and surrounding localities.

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

Ferry Service

The Merry Point Ferry in Lancaster County and the Sunnybank Ferry in Northumberland County will operate as scheduled today and on Friday, Jan. 28. Ferry service will be suspended on Saturday, Jan. 29.

511Virginia

Call 511, visit www.511Virginia.org, or use VDOT’s 511Virginia free mobile app to find real-time road conditions in any area of the state.

VDOT’s 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).

Additional Information

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

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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.