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RICHMOND – Happy Holidays from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). As a gift to motorists, VDOT will help ease Christmas and New Year’s travel by opening lanes that are temporarily closed for construction or maintenance work on many major roadways. In general, Short-term lane closures used to help crews conduct construction and maintenance projects will be restricted from 6 a.m. Dec. 24 until 6 a.m. Dec. 27 and again from 6 a.m. Dec. 31 until 6 a.m. Jan. 3. Construction zones with concrete barriers and orange barrels will remain set up.

Motorists are urged to obey the posted speed limits and pay attention to the orange signs in work zones throughout Virginia. They’re posted to guide drivers safely through work zones.

In Virginia last year, 14 people died in crashes in highway work zones. Nationally, four out of five persons killed in work zone crashes are motorists. Reckless driving was the top offense charged to motorists in Virginia’s work zones last year. The fine for speeding in a work zone can be $500.

VDOT’s Transportation Emergency Operations Center reports that some snow showers are forecast for Christmas weekend in the western portion of the state, but inclement weather is not expected for most of the rest of the commonwealth for that holiday weekend.

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Page last modified: Dec. 5, 2006