Snow, ice coat Dan River Region
Jan 26, 2013 (Menafn - Danville Register & Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Wintry weather hit the Dan River Region a little earlier than expected Friday.
Snow began falling before noon, with a burst of sleet coming in the early afternoon.
The top road-clearing priority was the main roads and streets that lead to emergency facilities followed by the roads connected to these routes. Residential neighborhoods are after that.
Even with the salt on the roads, the early afternoon traffic on the main roads in Danville was scarce and slow for the most part. There were two weather related crashes as of 5 p.m. Friday according to the Danville Police Department.
"People have been driving better," said Sgt. E.D. Talley. "As usual, the secondary roads are the concern."
Danville Transit was operating on snow routes and all buses were shut down 6 p.m. but would resume at 9:20 a.m. Saturday according to transportation director Marc Aldeman. Danville Regional Airport was closed as well and most evening activities were canceled.
Several locally owned restaurants, like Checkered Pig, even shut their doors early so employees could get home safely.
In Pittsylvania County, the rural roads were listed as "moderate" by the Virginia Department of Transportation from the snow and ice -- and drivers were urged to be cautious. Paula Jones, the media representative for VDOT's South-Central office, said crews will work overnight to try to remove the snow from the road -- a 12 hour shift.
"The places that we look for are bridges and overpasses," said Jones.
Friday's storm was unlike the snow last week. This week's clear skies allowed city crews to "pre-treat" the roads with brine 48 hours in advance of the storm. There is only an inch or two of snow expected to fall by Saturday. However, Jones said this does not mean the roads can't be dangerous and cautions drivers.
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