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March 11, 2010
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News Winter mix brings more trouble on highways
The News & Record / February 08, 2010
With Halifax County pelted again by snow, sleet and rain over the past several days, the sight of the sun on Sunday came as a welcome relief as some of the winter mix melted away.Despite warnings from the Virginia Department of Transportation cautioning residents not to travel unless it was absolutely necessary, law enforcement officers experienced a busy Friday morning answering calls of vehicles in ditches and minor accidents.
Schools were closed for the fifth consecutive day on Friday and local businesses closed early that morning as the snowfall added a light dusting over the already-wintry landscape. Shortly before 4 o’clock yesterday, school officials announced that school would be held today, opening two hours late.. Several local roads were closed due to flooding in the Virgilina area including Route 738 North Cemetery Road, Route 604 Rip Rap Road and Route 602 North Fork Road. Standing water in the roadways made those highways impassable, although for the most part they were opened by late Saturday. Also closed on Saturday due to high standing water was Route 778 Green Level Road in the vicinity of Mt. Laurel Road and Black Walnut Road. As of 4 p.m. on Saturday, State Route 716 was still blocked by standing water and VDOT still cautioned motorists to continue to use caution throughout Sunday as cold temperatures might bring about the refreezing of melted snow and the possibility of black ice.
According to Halifax County Emergency Services Coordinator Kirby Saunders, one of the biggest problems on Friday occurred around noon when a tractor trailer, driven by a Drakes Branch man, jackknifed on US 360 near the county line. The trailer, which was loaded with milled lumber, overturned, dumping the lumber into the median strip. One lane of the southbound highway was closed until the lumber could be moved, but no injuries were reported in the accident which was caused by poor weather conditions. Saunders said there were reports of scattered power outages during the period, but power was quickly restored to most of those pretty quickly. For areas to the north, things were far worse. A state police spokesperson said troopers around the state had responded to 3,167 calls on Friday as the storm brought record snowfall to the Washington area, as well as heavy accumulations in Richmond.
Del. James Edmunds returned home to Halifax County late Thursday afternoon after the General Assembly closed that afternoon for the weekend — an event, he said, which had not happened for the past 40 years. “Leaders were afraid we wouldn’t be able to get out of Richmond by Friday,” Edmunds said. Tell-a-Friend | Submit a Comment |
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