Southbound traffic on Interstate 81 at the 105 mile marker in Montgomery County should be restored shortly. Traffic is currently being re-routed through Radford at this time. State police are still investigating the two-vehicle crash in the southbound lanes and working to clear the scene. The crash occurred at 12:21 a.m. Tuesday. The crash was not storm-related. A southbound tractor-trailer had become disabled and pulled off onto the shoulder. A short time later another southbound tractor-trailer ran off the road and struck the disabled vehicle. The crash caused one of the tractor-trailers to jackknife across the southbound lanes of I-81. At least one driver suffered minor injuries.
The City of Alexandria is reporting 3 buildings with roofs partially torn off by wind. One is a residential, garden-style apartment building and now condemned as a result. Twenty of its residents evacuated/relocated. Approximately 10 homes in the city have tree damage. No reported or observed flooding. 10,598 Dominion Virginia Power customers without power. Damage assessment to begin today (Tuesday) at daylight.
Power outages peaked statewide at around midnight with 204,663 power outages. By 5 a.m., reported power outages were at 183,721 statewide. The greatest increases in outages overnight were occurring in Northern and Southwest Virginia. Remaining outages were in Hampton Roads, Eastern Shore, Northern Neck and Southside Virginia.
There are currently 35 local shelters open statewide providing services to approximately 546 individuals. The majority of the shelters are located in the Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia regions.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) reports motorists will encounter slick travel conditions in areas of Southwest Virginia this morning, mostly in the higher elevations. Be alert to snow-covered primary and secondary roads in Bland, Smyth, Tazewell and Russell counties. Also be alert to snow-covered sections of roadway on Route 58 between Damascus and Volney; Routes 83 and 80 in the Haysi area; and Route 16 between Smyth County and Volney. Interstate routes in southwestern Virginia have scattered snow and ice patches. Motorists will also encounter snow and ice patches on the majority of main routes in Lee, Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise counties. Secondary routes in Bland, Tazewell, Smyth, Russell, Grayson, Wise and Dickenson counties are snow-covered.
Get the latest road conditions at www.511virginia.org or by downloading the 511 mobile app. Report downed trees and hazardous road conditions to 1-800-367-ROAD (1-800-367-7623).
Virginia State Police are investigating the cause of a crash in Charlotte County that claimed two lives overnight. A 2007 Honda Civic was traveling west on Route 360 when it ran off the right side of the road. The car went down an embankment and struck a tree. The crash occurred at 10:45 p.m. on Route 360, less than a mile east of Route 710. The driver of the car, Taylor D. Reeves, 22, of Dillwyn, Va., died at the scene. She was not wearing a seat belt. The passenger, Alec L. England, 24, of Drakes Branch, Va., was transported to a Centra Southside Community Hospital in Farmville, where he later died. England was not wearing a seat belt either. It is still being determined if the crash was weather-related or not.
