RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Laura Bullock 540-387-5493 saleminfo@VirginiaDOT.org

SAL-86 Sept. 29, 2004

CLEAN UP BEGINS IN VDOT’S SALEM DISTRICT
Dozens of roads still closed or partially blocked following record flood

SALEM – Nearly 70 roads are still closed or partially blocked in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s 12-county Salem District due to damage sustained during yesterday’s (Sept. 28) flood event. VDOT road crews are working throughout the district to make repairs and restore traffic. Very early estimates indicate that the district suffered several million dollars in damage to roads and bridges.

“We are in the continuous process of opening roads today and tomorrow,” said Richard Caywood, VDOT’s Salem District administrator. “At one point yesterday, 200 roads were closed around the district. We opened quite a few today, and by the end of the weekend, we will have made significant progress on repairs.”

VDOT crews are shifting from areas least affected to those harder hit in order to speed along repairs. For example, workers from Henry County, which did not experience extensive damage, went to Patrick County, where more than 11 inches of rain fell and washed out sections of 24 roads. VDOT workers assigned to Pulaski County are in Montgomery and Giles counties to assist in cleanup efforts.

In the Roanoke Valley, damage assessments are not complete because in many places water has not yet receded. Contract crews have been called in to supplement VDOT forces in making repairs. Damage ranges from washed out drainage pipes, to broken up pavement and scattered gravel, to stacked up debris blocking drainage outlets. The construction project to rebuild a section of East Main Street in Salem, including a new bridge over Kessler Mill Road, was under water at one point. Formwork for an upcoming concrete pour was lost.

Some areas seriously impacted include Route 622 (Bradshaw Road) between Roanoke and Montgomery counties. Several pipes were washed out, and a section of the road is closed, forcing drivers to take detours. In Craig County, pedestrian bridges were damaged and may have to be replaced, and in Giles County, Route 635 (Big Stoney Creek Road), which leads to West Virginia and into Craig County, is closed in several spots, affecting several hundred people.

VDOT will use emergency contracts as appropriate to make some of the longer-term repairs.

As of 2:30 p.m., these roads remain closed or partially blocked:


BOTETOURT COUNTY
Route 615 at Route 220
Route 640 (Lithia Road) from Route 11 to Route 606
Route 640 between Route 776 and Route 606
Route 644 (Ellis Run Road) between north and south intersections with Route 645
Route 743
Route 674 (Tinker Mill Road)
Route 683
Route 685
Route 686
Route 688
Route 1308 from Route 1321 to Route 11
Route 1305 (Lowe Street) between Route 11 and Route 1311
Route T-1324 in Buchanan between Route 1303 and dead end

CARROLL COUNTY
Route 624 from Route 662 to Route 671
Route 717 from Route 612 to dead end
Route 921 from Route 670 to Route 674

FLOYD COUNTY
Route 698 from Route 8 to dead end
Route 709 at Route 615 intersection

FRANKLIN COUNTY
Route 681
Route 709
Route 726

GILES COUNTY
Route 623 (Cascade Drive) from Route 753 to end state maintenance
Route 629 (Iron Spring Drive) from Route 635 to end state maintenance
Route 635 (Big Stoney Creek Road) from Route 781 to Route 804
Route 697 (Doc Carr Road) from Route 100 to end state maintenance
Route 703 (Old Furnace Road) from Route 42 to end state maintenance
Route 722 (Glenn Alton Road) from Route 635 to end state maintenance
Route 749 (Skinny Brown Bridge Road) between Route 100 and end
Route 749 (Patterson Ford Road) from Route 811 to end state maintenance

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Route 600 between Route 693 and Route 669
Route 601 (Poff School Road)
Route 607
Route 609
Route 616 (Dobbins Holler Road)
Route 626
Route 628
Route 631
Route 632
Route 637
Route 638
Route 641
Route 660 between Route 661 and Route 719
Route 674
Route 687
Route 669 between Route 670 and Route 606
Route 703 between Route 114 and Route 685
Route 712 between Route 723 and end state maintenance
Route 722 between Route 639 and end state maintenance
Route 737
Route 755
Route 787

PATRICK COUNTY
Spring Branch Road
North Fork Road

PULASKI COUNTY
Route 643 (Alum Springs Road) at Route 601
Route 653 (Delton Road) along New River

ROANOKE COUNTY
Route 612
Route 619
Route 622
Route 630 (Kessler Mill Road)
Route 639 from Route 638 (Lilly Drive) to Route 612 (Poor Mountain Road)
Route 641
Route 646
Route 693
Route 699 between Route 622 (Bradshaw Road) and Route 684 (Old Catawba Road)
Route 734
Route 752 (Old Mill Road)
Route 1373 (Willowlawn Street)


Before planning trips, motorists can call 511 for road condition information along the I-81 corridor in Virginia or consult the Web site at www.511Virginia.org. Drivers also can use VDOT’s Web site at www.VirginiaDOT.org or the Highway Helpline at 1-800-367-ROAD.