Written By: VDOT

A State of Emergency has been declared for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Tuesday into Wednesday, and we expect to see a Winter Storm Warning today. The forecast shows a potential for several inches of snow, and residents should plan now to stay off of the roads. Our crews are pretreating the roads today, Monday Feb. 10, and have started their 12-hour shift rotations (24 hours-a-day coverage). With the timing of this storm’s arrival, we are anticipating that afternoon rush hour on Tuesday, and both rush hours on Wednesday will be heavily impacted.

For the Northern Virginia District, (Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William counties and the primary roads in Arlington County) we plan to mobilize approximately 2,500 pieces of equipment, with a dedicated contingent of equipment working to make subdivisions passable. A reminder that passable is defined as an at least 8-10′ wide path that is drivable with caution. Emergency vehicles, like fire trucks, are able to navigate the roads successfully. Overall, subdivision roads will likely not be bare pavement or plowed curb to curb. Throughout this storm, we will continue to plow and treat roads as needed and will continue to put down abrasives for traction.

In the Northern Virginia District, we maintain 17,384 subdivision roads. We treat roads in priority order—interstates, primaries, high-volume secondaries, and then subdivision roads. Please remember to park on the odd side of the street to give crews space to work. We oftentimes put smaller trucks into subdivisions as they can maneuver more precisely.

Thank you for your patience and support with helping us treat our roads!