VDOT crews prepare for weekend winter weather

SALEM, Va. (WDBJ) - Winter weather might be on the horizon for southwest Virginia beginning Saturday night and into Sunday. VDOT crews have already begun to prepare for what our hometowns might see.

“We will be pretreating the interstates and some primary roads in the mountainous areas on Saturday ahead of this storm. Putting on that layer of brine that will help if we do start to see ice or snow bond to the road surface. It’ll make it easier to plow if we do see accumulating snow,” said Jason Bond, spokesperson for VDOT.

The main concerns include the interstate and roads close to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“Concerns are mainly in the mountainous areas on the I-77 corridor and there’s areas along the Blue Ridge Mountains and to the west. Certainly, have concerns about potential for ice or snow to accumulate Saturday night going into Sunday.”

The worry for this type of storm is the impact a temperature change might have on the roads.

”Our biggest concern, of course, with this event is the temperatures; it’s key with this event. So just a little bit of difference in temperature could dictate how much snow or ice we start to see to form on those roadways.”

VDOT encourages all drivers to stay vigilant this weekend and keep an eye on forecasts that could impact their travel plans.

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