The Snows are A'Commin
VDOT requests that before a storm, residents put all cars in their driveway, leaving the street clear for plowing, especially on cul-de-sacs. If that is not possible,
park on the odd number side of the street.
The Virginia Department of Transportation’s neighborhood-plowing website and plow-tracking program will again be among the tools the agency will use this winter in northern Virginia.
“We have seen a great success in the website so far,” said Branco Vlacich, VDOT’s maintenance engineer for northern Virginia, at the annual snow briefing. “Even in past year’s heavy snows we saw a drastic drop in customer service calls, and we think that is because drivers and residents can get instant answers to their questions with real-time visuals of road conditions and specific progress of our snow crews.”
VDOT is responsible for 17,737 lane miles in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties (Arlington County maintains its own secondary roads). About half of those miles are highways, and half are neighborhood streets.
Winter Highlights
Neighborhood plowing page: Residents are encouraged to continue using vdotplows.org to monitor the status of plowing in northern Virginia neighborhoods. Once it snows more than two inches, residents in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties can enter their address and a color-coded snow map shows whether plowing is underway, completed or not yet started in their neighborhood.
Equipment: More than 4,000 trucks and plows are available and all are equipped with automatic vehicle locator (AVL) equipment. Special equipment includes:
A super-sized salt dome at the Beltway and Van Dorn Street holding 22,000 tons – about three times the capacity of a typical dome – helps ensure that crews do not run low during severe storms.
500 lane miles on major roads, such as Fairfax County Parkway, routes 1, 7, 28, 29, and 50, are pre-treated with salt brine. Brine (77 percent water, 23 percent salt) prevents ice from bonding to the road surface, reduces the need for salt to melt ice, is kinder to the environment and can lower snow removal time and costs.
VDOT’s Winter Resources: See the status of plowing in Northern Virginia neighborhoods: www.vdotplows.org
Follow @VaDOTNOVA on Twitter
Be proactive and report unplowed roads: novainfo@vdot.virginia.gov or 800-367-7623
Information provided by VDOT. (Copyright © 2012 Annandale Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved. (Photographs & images, on this page, and on this website, are not available for use by other publications, blogs, individuals, websites, or social media sites.)
Emergency Contacts
Be Proactive-Report Unplowed Roads
VDOT requests that before a storm, residents put all cars in their driveway, leaving the street clear for plowing, especially on cul-de-sacs. If that is not possible, park on the odd number side of the street.
Also remember to have your cellular phones and portable electronics fully charged, fill prescription medications, and buy Pet Food.
WINTER SCENES IN ANNANDALE
(From the ACC Photographic Archive)
(Copyright © 2012 Annandale Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved. (Photographs & images, on this page, and on this website, are not available for use by other publications, blogs, individuals, websites, or social media sites.)
Copyright 2012 Annandale Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy