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Old 01-18-2012, 09:16 PM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
181 posts, read 354,777 times
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This may be a really silly question, but I want to know how dangerous the roads are in the winter time in WV. We're from FL and don't have the ice or mountain driving experience. BUT, we would like to come and play in the snow. The plan is to drive from Knoxville to McHenry, MD and go to Wisp. This allows us to see family and to stay on or close to interstates. I-79 & I-68.

But I've never driven that stretch and crossing the mountains in possible snow and ice kinda freaks us out a litte as we'll have 3 kids in the backseat! Is this area fairly easy to drive, like wide roads, de-iced for the most part, what about drop offs or steep inclines and curvyness??
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Old 01-18-2012, 09:26 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh PA
1,125 posts, read 2,335,072 times
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Honestly I68 in WV is significantly better than in Maryland (just drove back from DC and took 68 the whole way during freezing rain). Just take it slow in bad weather and you should be fine. The roads that usually aren't that great are the smaller highways and side roads
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Old 01-18-2012, 09:42 PM
 
Location: Seattle, WA
389 posts, read 793,712 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by escilade18 View Post
Honestly I68 in WV is significantly better than in Maryland (just drove back from DC and took 68 the whole way during freezing rain)
In what way, pray tell? I drive that route multiple times a month and would have to disagree.
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Old 01-19-2012, 12:18 AM
 
10,147 posts, read 14,970,415 times
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Crossing the Alleghenys in Winter calls for close monitoring of weather conditions. My experience is it is better to do it in the daytime. I79 is generally not a problem except bridges can freeze up. Be especially careful after dark.
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Old 01-19-2012, 12:49 AM
 
348 posts, read 1,047,257 times
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Oh, well. I-79 and I -68 are well-plowed. I quit driving on the PA turnpike in 1970's because I love driving on I-68. When the temperature is around 32 degrees, drive careful.
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Old 01-19-2012, 04:25 AM
 
4,714 posts, read 13,268,770 times
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Bad weather around Grantsville, Md is not at all for the faint hearted.

The worst I ever experienced was in Dec 1984, returning from D.C to Morgantown.
It was day and I hit the storm at the I-81 interchange.
The snow storm was terrible with high winds, but worse was the fog.
I traveled behind a semi tractor/trailer in a Ford 4-wheel drive truck (within 20')...followed him all the way to Morgantown.
All I could see was his emergency lights flashing dimly through the fog and white snow.
It took 5 hours to travel through those mountains at about 15 MPH. We never stopped.

The State of Maryland does a great job on that section of highway.
They have mountain snow removal equiptment.
Wv does not. If the road is really bad, they will close it down.

I wouldn't worry about things to much this year, as this winter has been non-existant. Just monitor the weather conditions.

I mentioned that fog...about 10 years ago a fog set in and resulted in a 70 car pile-up.
People were left on the highway for over a day without care.
That was an emergency fiasco, as the local respondents did not have the equiptment or training to handle that situation.
They isolated the area until the next day when help arrived.
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Old 01-19-2012, 06:15 AM
 
Location: Charles Town, WV
423 posts, read 1,228,581 times
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Neither I79 or I68 have any "drop offs or steep inclines and curvyness" that should be of worry to you. There are mountians to cross, but the roads are wide and typically expand to three lanes on the uphill sides. You haven't mentioned what type of car that you'll be driving. So far, winter here in the mid-Atlantic has been light. Not much snow, and not too many below freezing days. So this year ... you should be fine. If you're driving a four-wheel drive SUV with good all season tires ... I'd say that you'll have no problems. If it's a sedan with all season tires .... you're probably ok ... but keep a close check on the weather. If it's a car with summer tires .... I'm not sure what to say .... it could be bad or it could be no problem. I agree with CTMountaineer .... try to do your driving during the day, watch for ice (in my experience, more so on I79 than I68) and monitor the weather situation. I have a friend who spent last weekend at WISP, and she posted pics of a 6" snowfall while she was there. Typcially, the road crews are pros and the roads are well maintained. In a bad snowstorm, they typically work to keep one lane open and the other lane will be more snowcovered. This area is absolutely beautiful!! I love driving across I68, and I hope that you enjoy your vacation!
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Old 01-19-2012, 08:16 AM
 
Location: Western Pennsylvania
2,429 posts, read 7,212,588 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CTMountaineer View Post
Crossing the Alleghenys in Winter calls for close monitoring of weather conditions. My experience is it is better to do it in the daytime. I79 is generally not a problem except bridges can freeze up. Be especially careful after dark.
Agreed. Especially with kids in the car, I'd limit myself to daylight, non-snowy days. Nothing wrong about pulling into a Holiday Inn Express for a day, send the kids to the heated indoor pool, and extending your trip by a day or two.

Christmas Day, I was driving south on I-79. It was just after dawn, about 25 deg, but the sun was coming up. The pavement appeared dry. But at the bridge at Weston, the sun was melting some of the roadside snow, which then ran across the bridge and would refreeze. The dreaded Black Ice!!!

The rear end came around about 20 degrees before I caught it, and it sure scared the guy in the lane next to me, but I was probably a split-second from viewing the highway from the median.
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Old 01-19-2012, 08:36 AM
 
Location: ADK via WV
5,988 posts, read 8,969,134 times
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If you are coming up from Florida, I'd worry more about the WV turnpike then 79 or 68. That road can be deadly on a snowy day. But when its clear its one of the most beautiful highways in the United States.
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Old 01-19-2012, 08:46 AM
 
Location: Western Pennsylvania
2,429 posts, read 7,212,588 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chriscross309 View Post
If you are coming up from Florida, I'd worry more about the WV turnpike then 79 or 68. That road can be deadly on a snowy day. But when its clear its one of the most beautiful highways in the United States.
If you're going to the McHenry/Wisp area, if the weather is threatening you might want to consider taking I-81 north from Wytheville, instead of I-77/WV Turnpike/US-19/I-79/I-68. I-81 runs in a broad valley, instead of across the mountains, and should have less snow. At Winchester, take US-522, then I-70 to I-68 West.

But as CC says, if it's not snowing, the WV Turnpike and I-79 is a beautiful mountain drive.
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