HAMPTON ROADS -- The Virginia Department of Transportation is warning people who get out and drive Saturday night to be especially careful and slow down -- black ice could be a big problem.
Black ice forms in a way which causes it to be transparent and because it's clear, it is often invisible, which makes it very dangerous.
Throughout the day, VDOT and crews in area cities, counties and towns were trying to keep the roads as clear as possible.
VDOT's responsiblity is the Interstates and primary rural roads; your neighborhood streets are kept up by the city.
That's why all localities, VDOT and Va. State Police were warning people to stay off the roads unless it was absolutely necessary. Officials expected drivers to venture out later in the day and that could create problems as people slip, slide and spin out.
A 13News viewer sent in a photograph of a pick-up truck that slid off the road and into the ditch in York County around 1:00 p.m. Saturday. A tow truck arrived to get it back on the road.
That scene was played out on Interstates and neighborhood roads as slippery roads got even moreso when a snow-sleet mix started just before noon.
By mid-morning, VDOT had dozens of of snow flighting vehicles were on the roads on main Interstates and primary rural routes. VDOT explains that crews first plows snow and then treats the road with sand, salt and anti-icing chemicals. That routine will be repeated through the event.
"Motorists will see snow on the roadway, but they need to know that the Interstates and primary roads are being cleared and recleared and recleared all the time," said VDOT spokesman Nora Jump-Scott.
"Slushy (roadways) is good because that means there's been no bonding to the road," she added.
The Berkley Bridge over the Elizabeth River in Norfolk had patches of ice, so use extreme caution when driving on it and any other bridge, VDOT states.
In Norfolk, officials say plowing is more difficult because so many people are out that it's preventing plows from reaching adequate speed to be most effective.
A 13News viewer sent in a photo from Battlefield Blvd. of a city snowplow at work, trying to keep ahead of the snow and ice.
VDOT Priorities for Clearing Roads
VDOT’s goal is to have all roads passable within 48 hours after a storm ends. Crews first clear interstates, primary roads and major secondary roads that connect localities, fire stations, employment hubs, military posts, schools, hospitals and other important public facilities.
They will then treat secondary roads and subdivision streets if multi-day storms hit Virginia, but crews will focus efforts on those roads that carry the most traffic.
