VDOT News - Culpeper

CULPEPER — Virginia Department of Transportation crews, augmented by contractors and specialty debris removal crews, continued to work today to plow secondary roads across the nine-county Culpeper District. Most open roads have been plowed at least once, although some roads will need additional passes to open the entire road.

The work has been slowed by the number of fallen trees – “thousands” by one estimate – many of which have utility lines tangled in them. Those lines must be deenergized and removed by utility companies before VDOT can cut and remove the tree and continue plowing the road. Crews will continue working around the clock to remove trees in the road until all routes are passable.

Interstate 64, I-66 and most primary highways in the district are clear, but several primary routes in Orange County: U.S. 15 (James Madison Highway), U.S. 33 (Spotswood Trail), and Route 20 (Constitution Highway) are still in minor condition with patches of slush and ice on the roadway.

Most secondary roads are in minor condition with sections of the road covered with frozen snow, slush and ice. The exception is to the east, where secondary roads in Fluvanna, Louisa and eastern Orange counties are in moderate to severe condition with ice and deep snow in some places.

As crews continue around-the-clock recovery operations from Monday’s storm, VDOT is also preparing for another winter storm that is forecast to hit the state late Thursday. The current forecast is for three to five inches of snow across Piedmont Virginia. In advance of that storm brine is being applied to the interstate highways today, crews will apply brine on other high-volume routes on Thursday. Supplies of sand, salt and fuel are also being restocked.

VDOT continues to caution against unnecessary travel. Any slush or water on the roads, even those that have been plowed, will freeze again Wednesday night and will remain slick until temperatures rise above freezing.

If you must drive:

• Postpone travel as long as possible to give crews time to treat roads
• Before you leave, check road conditions and traffic cameras along your route on VDOT’s traffic and travel web site, 511Virginia.org
• Allow plenty of time to reach your destination
• Keep a safe distance of at least five seconds behind the vehicle ahead of you
• Brake very lightly to keep your tires from slipping on pavement
• Do not pass snowplows

VDOT’s Customer Service Center is open 24 hours a day to answer questions and take reports of roadway hazards. Call 1-800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623) or contact us online at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov.

Additional information about winter-weather preparations and response can be found at www.virginiadot.org/travel/snow.asp. Local updates are posted to Twitter.com/VaDOTCulp and the district’s snow emergency webpage.

The Culpeper District includes the counties of Albemarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock.

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