Snow Clearance is Slow Going, VDOT Says
Constant refreezing is making the work difficult.
By Hank Silverberg
CORRESPONDENT
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The Virginia Department of Transportation says crews are still working 12-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, but that it could be a while before some secondary roads in the Fredericksburg Area are plowed to the pavement.
VDOT spokeswoman Kelly Hannon says there are about 2,000 miles of roadway in the Fredericksburg Area which the state is required to plow and the low temperatures, with no real melting, has made that more difficult, especially at night when many roads freeze over again.
State snowplows or private contractors hired by the state have also been spreading salt and sand over icy roads to help make them passable. At the height of the storm, there were more than 1,100 plows out using all kinds of vehicles—traditional plows, tractors, and even road graders—but Hannon says there are now 200 vehicles out in Stafford and Spotsylvania counties alone.
Many of the primary roads, like Interstate 95, U.S. 1, and State Route 2, were pretreated with melting solutions, making it easier for them to be cleared when the sun cooperates. But those melting solutions are not very effective when temperatures drop into the 20s, which they have done every night since the snowstorm moved in.
All the primary roads have been plowed, but Hannon says crews have had to go over them again and again, particularly at intersections where melted ice re-freezes.
VDOT is responsible for state roads only and not some of the local subdivisions which remain unplowed. Many Homeowners Associations hire private contractors to do that work.
You can tell if your street is a state-maintained road by looking for the black and white signs with numbers on them at intersections in your neighborhood.
Hannon says roads numbered 599 and below should have been plowed already, but that it may take some time to get the streets with higher route numbers plowed. In many cases, they have been treated with snowmelt and sand to make them passable but have not been plowed yet.
Hannon says VDOT hopes to have all state-maintained roads in the Fredericksburg area plowed by early Friday morning, but they can’t be sure.
If you live or work on a street with a state road sign and it has not been plowed, you can report it to VDOT, by calling 800-367-7623.
Update January 9, 2025, at 7:35 to correct the name to Fredericksburg Area.
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Thank you for keeping us informed, Hank.
I always learn from your articles in the Fredericksburg Advance.