North Tidewater News

With a significant winter storm forecasted to impact Hampton Roads from Wednesday through Thursday, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is taking proactive measures. Crews are pretreating roadways, including interstates and state-maintained primary routes throughout the region, on Monday and Tuesday.

The storm is expected to bring heavy snowfall, winds, and sub-freezing temperatures, creating hazardous travel conditions. VDOT urges the public to plan ahead and avoid travel during and after the storm, which is anticipated to last from early Wednesday to Thursday. Motorists are advised to stay off the roads until conditions improve to allow crews to work safely and efficiently.

The region could receive up to 8-12 inches of snow. The combination of snow and freezing temperatures will require multi-day operations. High snowfall rates may necessitate multiple passes by trucks before roads become passable. Once the storm begins, crews will work in 12-hour shifts around the clock to clear snow from interstates and state-maintained roads.

Priority will be given to roads with high traffic volumes. VDOT focuses first on making interstates and most state-maintained primary roads (routes numbered 1 to 599) passable. Major secondary roads (routes numbered 600 and higher), especially those with vital emergency facilities or high traffic volumes, will also receive attention. Low-volume secondary roads and subdivision streets will be treated once higher-priority routes are cleared.

VDOT manages all interstates, major state primary routes, and county roads in Hampton Roads, covering over 900 lane miles of interstates, more than 1,800 lane miles of primary roads, and over 7,270 miles of secondary roads. Individual municipalities maintain their own roadways.

For questions or reports of hazardous road conditions, contact VDOT’s 24-hour Customer Service Center by visiting my.vdot.virginia.gov or calling 800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623). More information about winter weather travel can be found on VDOT’s weather page.