NORFOLK, Va. — Author's Note: The video above is on file from Jan. 21, 2022. These were the road conditions on Friday night, prior to being cleared Saturday.
Residents in Hampton Roads woke up to a lot of snow on the ground Saturday morning. It started coming down heavy late Friday and continued overnight.
Crews in multiple cities shared updates in an effort to keep people safe from the icy roads.
City offices and other businesses started closing as early as Thursday, in preparation for the inclement weather -- and to keep people off the roads.
Suffolk
Public works crews in Suffolk are still working to treat the roadways. They've been pulling 12-hour shifts (operating for 24 hours) to keep the highways clear.
There are 22 trucks in operation and workers have already put down 189 tons of abrasive across the city. The main roads have been cleared and crews are now focusing on the secondary areas.
City officials said the National Weather Service in Wakefield has called for Suffolk to drop to a low of 10 degrees. Drivers should avoid the bridges and overpasses, as those are not safe and usually freeze first.
For more information on the routes to use for public paved roads, click here.
Chesapeake
Chesapeake Public Works crews continued working this morning. They started plowing the emergency routes and some of the main roads overnight.
Officials said the roads are still slick and advise drivers to stay home if possible. Crews added that extra vehicles on the highways make it more difficult for workers to do their job.
Units responded to the Great Bridge Bridge on Battlefield Boulevard Saturday, after it got stuck in the open position. They told people to avoid the area and use the Route 168 Expressway until it was fixed.
Virginia Beach
City crews in Virginia Beach are still actively going around clearing the snow from several roads in the area. Officials shared an update on some of its businesses that are expected to reopen Sunday, after closing due to the snow.
According to city officials, The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center will open at 12 p.m. on Jan. 23, and back to normal operating hours. The whale watching tours and the Adventure Park will remain closed.
The city's recreation centers will also reopen at 11 a.m., along with the parks that people will be able to enjoy (sledding at Mt. Trashmore is still not allowed).
Portsmouth
The city's public works crews said they have finished plowing all of the main roads including the bridges and overpasses. This has also been done for the roads that lead to Portsmouth hospitals and fire stations for emergencies.
Now, workers are handling the secondary roads and they said that will continue through the weekend. They expect some refreezing to happen overnight.
For information on the city's Snow Plow Map, click here.
Dominion Energy said it has been working to restore the power after 18 outages were reported.
Officials encourage customers to call 1-866-DOM-HELP to report an outage and related matters.