The change comes under the same law that allowed for recent increases on routes like Interstate 81, according to Lisa Hughes, the VDOT administrator over Carroll County roads. The new section of 58, often referred to as the Hillsville bypass, can accommodate the faster speeds, she said. It has limited access, wide lanes, broad shoulders, a median divider and good sight distance. The Route 58 Hillsville Bypass met the criteria for the Virginia Department of Transportation to consider a speed limit increase as set forth in Virginia law, which allows VDOT to conduct engineering studies on limited access roads and consider raising the speed limit up to 65 mph, according to the news release. The last traffic count put the average number of vehicles using that part of 58 at about 2,881. "We try to post realistic speed limits and that can easily accommodate a 65 mph speed," Hughes said.

Lisa Hughes, resident engineer with the Virginia Department of Transportation, urges motorists to continue to use caution and expect patches of ice. She estimated that no more than half an inch of wintry mix â€" snow, sleet and freezing rain â€" fell Friday in Henry County on pavements already so cold that all the precipitation stuck. The biggest accumulations in the area â€" up to an inch â€" were on the mountain and at Meadows of Dan in Patrick County, she said. Road crews worked on primary roads during the day and night Friday and began on secondary roads about 10 a.m. Saturday. In Henry County, roads in Bassett, Oak Level and Axton were among the worst, because there was a lot of freezing rain there, Hughes said. As of mid-afternoon Saturday, some roads in the area were clear and some had icy spots, she said.

Price Hughes, the resident engineer for the Bassett Forks office of the Virginia Department of Transportation, said late Sunday afternoon crews were to be out overnight, checking for spots such as bridges that commonly freeze first and treating them. VDOT crews were out by 7 or 8 a.m. Sunday when sleet, followed by rain and then sleet fell on the area. A short but heavy snowfall around 10 Sunday morning made roads “really slick,†she said. Crews treated the roads with salt and sand, but the problems did not last long, Price Hughes said. Later in the day there were no problems with travel, she added.

The board also met at 6 p.m., and discussed general highway matters with Lisa Hughes, resident engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

The board also will meet at 6 p.m. to hear matters presented by the public and an update on general highway matters from Lisa Hughes, resident engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.