VDOT News - Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Snow is expected to affect travel in the Fredericksburg area, Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula beginning early Sunday morning, and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews are prepared to respond to any hazardous travel conditions on state-maintained roads.

With up to 1,200 pieces of equipment available in Fredericksburg District, VDOT crews have the staff and treatment materials to address slick road surfaces and plow accumulating snow.

Over the past two days, VDOT has pre-treated Interstate 95 in the Fredericksburg area and primary roads districtwide with a salt brine solution. When storms begin as snow, applying salt brine in advance can reduce the ability of ice to bond to the pavement.

VDOT crews will work around the clock until all roads are safe for travel. This evening, state forces and contractor partners will mobilize to load trucks with sand and salt. Equipment will be deployed to staging locations so crews can begin plowing snow and spreading sand and salt as soon as inclement weather starts.

With high wind gusts possible as part of this storm, especially in coastal areas, VDOT has tree removal contractors on standby to help quickly reopen roads that may be blocked by downed trees, tree limbs and debris.

What Motorists Should Know

Plan travel around snow, not during snow: Once precipitation begins, roads may quickly become icy, slick and treacherous. Visibility may be limited. Travelers should monitor news and weather sources closely, and plan to arrive at their destination before inclement weather begins, if possible.

Check road conditions before starting a trip: Call 511, visit www.511virginia.org or download the free 511Virginia mobile app to see real-time road conditions around the state, and view traffic cameras.

Snowplow status updates: Crews begin to plow state-maintained roads once 2 inches of snow has accumulated. Once plowing is underway, VDOT will activate its online snow plow tracker map at vdotplows.org. All VDOT-owned and contracted plows are equipped with Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL), allowing them to be monitored on the snowplow tracker.

Street parking: Residents can help by parking vehicles in driveways or as far onto the road shoulder as they can. This provides the most space for snowplows to completely remove snow from the travel lanes on passes through a neighborhood.

VDOT Customer Service Center

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.

Social Media

Follow VDOT on Twitter at @VaDOT and VDOT Fredericksburg District at @VaDOTFRED.

On Facebook, visit VDOT’s statewide page or join the VDOT Fredericksburg District group.

Merry Point and Sunnybank Ferries

The Merry Point Ferry and Sunnybank Ferry are operating according to their normal Saturday schedule today, and the ferries do not operate on Sunday. For real-time updates on ferry service this week, check 511Virginia.

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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.