UPDATED TUESDAY PM: VDOT reports the lower area of Sugar Loaf Mountain Road is again open. Crews laid down 500 feet of gravel in the area to make it passable. Work on the upper area is not yet complete, but one lane has been opened with alternating lane closures. It is not clear whether further closures may be necessary. VDOT says this initial work is intended only to make the road passable again, and additional work will be needed in the future to complete roadway restoration.
TUESDAY AM: VDOT officials say work is already under way in efforts to re-open Sugar Loaf Mountain Road as soon as possible. Damage from the weekend downpours forced the closure of a one-mile stretch just outside Oak Grove Village in southwest Roanoke County. The hope is to make lower part of it passable with a gravel base by later today — and the rest by tomorrow — but VDOT says it is not yet possible to set a firm timetable.
PREVIOUS: Roanoke County Police say the recent heavy rains have heavily damaged a portion of Sugar Loaf Mountain Road in the southwest county. As a result, a one-mile portion of the roadway outside just outside Oak Grove Village has been declared impassible. Barricades and police tape are up on Sugar Loaf Mountain between Elbert Drive and Sugar Ridge Road. Police say VDOT has been notified, but there is no word yet on how long repairs might take.
From Roanoke County Police: (Roanoke County, VA) – Due to the heavy rains that have fallen in the past 24 hrs, we have discovered that a portion of Sugar Loaf Mtn Rd in Roanoke County has been heavily damaged to the point of being unpassable. We are marking the road closed from the intersection of Sugar Loaf Mtn Rd at Elbert Dr to the intersection of Sugar Loaf Mtn Rd at Sugar Ridge Rd. Barricades and police tape have been placed at both ends, directing drivers not to pass through. Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has been made aware of the condition of the road as well as the actions taken, and will respond as soon as possible. Again, we are directing drivers to not drive between the intersections of Sugar Loaf Mtn Rd at Elbert Dr and the intersection of Sugar Loaf Mtn Rd and Sugar Ridge Rd.
