VDOT Northern VA 2010 Snow Removal

November 17, 2010Allison Richter, Northern Virginia Infrastructure Manager

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• Accurate, timely weather forecasting for each county through a customized contract with Meridian, close coordination with NWS

• Development and implementation of detailed mobilization plans• Number and types of equipment needed based on forecast

• Anti-icing (pre-treating) critical locations

• Incident command at McConnell PSTOC• 24/7/365 command-and-control structure with duty officers

• Situational awareness

• Inter-agency coordination with Virginia State Police, Fairfax County Police, Fire and Rescue, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Maryland State Highway Administration, etc.

• Co-location of Customer Service Center at MPSTOC• (703) 383-VDOT; direct assignment to responsible staff

• About 135 calls on a non-snow day; about 300 calls/day for a typical 6-inch storm; 34,000 calls for February 2010 snowstorms

Improvements to VDOT’s Snow Program in Recent Years

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February 2010 Storms

• Historic snowfall• More than 45 inches of snow

– about 6 inches Jan. 29

– about 4 inches Feb. 2

– over 34 inches on Feb. 5-6

– about 5 inches on Feb. 10-11

– low temperatures during and after the event

• 2,200 pieces of equipment, including over 200 pieces of heavy equipment from other VDOT areas and 300 from out of state and other sources

• By comparison: Blizzard of 1996 left 38 inches of snow; had 960 pieces of equipment

• Meeting the challenges of interstates and high-volume roads• 17,000+ lane miles of interstates, primary, secondary, and residential

streets (8,000+ lane miles in Fairfax County)

• Change in nature of operation—loading/hauling in addition to plowing on the Beltway, I-95/I-395, I-66, HOV lanes and gates

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VDOT Roads in Northern Virginia

• VDOT is responsible for Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun and Arlington (except secondary roads) counties and I-66 from D.C. to Front Royal

• 17,679 lane miles• 8,930 interstates

• 8,749 major routes

and neighborhood streets

Loudoun

Prince William

FairfaxArlington

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17,000 Lane Miles Equals . . .

6 Trips Across the Continental U.S.

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• Heavy snowfall required front loaders/dump trucks to load and haul snow from the Beltway, I-95/395 HOV, I-66 “X” lanes, some major intersections

• In February, VDOT pushed, moved or hauled 20 million tons of snow from roads in northern Virginia

About the 2009-2010 Winter

Where concrete barriers prevented piling, snow had to be loaded from the Beltway, I-95/395 HOV lanes and I-66 “X” lanes (above). Some snow was placed under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (right).

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About the 2009-2010 Winter

• Widespread power outages, hundreds of downed trees• Snow drifts up to 14 feet (Loudoun County)

VDOT assisted emergency

responders and utility crews throughout the storms. Crews helped

dislodge this Dominion Power

truck, stranded in a 14-foot-high snowdrift

in Loudoun County.

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Before the Storm

• Forecast review with National Weather Service and Meridian (VDOT’s on-call weather service)

• District-wide conference call to discuss mobilization plan

• Pre-treating (anti-icing) critical locations 1-2 days prior• 500 lane miles of interstate ramps, bridges, overpasses

(Springfield Interchange, Beltway at Route 1, I-66 at Gainesville) with liquid magnesium chloride

• 200 lane miles of high-volume roads (Routes 1, 7, 28, 29, 50, Fairfax County Parkway, etc.) with salt brine

• Mobilization begins several hours prior to forecasted start• Contractor trucks equipped, stocked, deployed• Trucks strategically staged along major routes

• Incident command is activated at PSTOC when a major storm is forecasted

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Mobilization Levels

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VDOT Resources

• 18 local maintenance headquarters (9 in Fairfax, 4 each in Prince William and Loudoun, 1 in Arlington)

• About 2,600 (up from 1,700) pieces of equipment (state and contractor) are available for the 2010/2011 winter

• AVL pilot program ongoing—over 90 vendors signed up so far with over 400 pieces of equipment

• Pick-ups (landscape-type trucks) typically used in subdivisions, and can push up to 18 inches of snow

• Different trucks for interstates versus subdivisions

• About 90 percent of crews and equipment are contracted • Training includes classroom sessions, snowplow simulators

and snow route visits

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VDOT Road Priorities

Roads are generally cleared from highest volume to lowest:• Interstates (I-66, I-95/395, I-495) made passable, then cleared

to bare pavement• High-volume routes (Routes 1, 7, 28, 50, Fairfax County

Parkway, Prince William County Parkway, etc.)• Main thoroughfares in neighborhoods• Remaining neighborhood streets and cul-de-sacs

• Concurrent Priorities:• Shoulders and gore areas

• Hauling snow where barriers prohibit piling (I-95/395 HOV, Beltway, construction sites)

• I-95/395 Reversible HOV lanes and ramps

• Commuter lots (15,000 spaces along I-95 and I-66)

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Subdivisions and low-volume roads“Doing the most good in the least amount of time”

• Plowed when 2+ inches have fallen• Main thoroughfares in neighborhoods are repeatedly plowed

during a storm• Once main roads are clear, crews work on the remaining streets

and cul-de-sacs

Vale Spring Drive, Oakton (right)Stop sign at Hillcrest Place and Parramore Drive,

Alexandria (below)

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Subdivisions and low-volume roads“Doing the most good in the least amount of time”

• Will be made “passable”– an 8’ to 10’ wide path that is drivable with caution; remains snow-packed, rutted

• Not curb-to-curb or to bare pavement• Hills, curves, intersections, problem spots sanded for traction• One pass for typical storms; major storms require multiple passes

and heavier equipment such as front loaders

Harrowhill Lane, Burke (not passable)

Slidell Lane, Springfield (passable)

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•Neighborhood roads are divided into 650 snow maps district-wide• Maps are updated annually to ensure all state-maintained roads are

included.

• Once main subdivision thoroughfares are completed, plow drivers:• Are assigned up to three maps each

• Complete one map at a time

• Report when at least one pass is made

• May be temporarily reassigned for emergencies, special circumstances

How neighborhoods are assigned and plowed

Swinton Drive, near Braddock Road (passable)

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Example of a Snow Map

One of 650 snow maps assigned to plow drivers in Northern Virginia. “Hotspots” are identified by area superintendents and added to maps annually.

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Completing Subdivisions

• Maintenance and office staff check progress and ensure completion in subdivisions

• Subdivisions are considered complete when a driver reports the maps completed and monitors have spot checked them.

• Once subdivision streets are passable, resident inquiries are “mapped” by the Customer Service Center and logged into VDOT’s reporting system and assigned to crews to revisit.

Americana Drive

(Annandale) after plow

passes.

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Customer Service Center

• To give crews a chance to finish assigned snow maps, VDOT asks that residents wait a few days after the storm ends before reporting roads as “missed.” Once crews have finished their routes, resident complaints are mapped into a database that feeds lists of locations back to the area headquarters to revisit.

• Dozens of staff work 12-hour shifts to answer resident e-mails, take calls and log them into the system.This center has been expanded this year to Salem, VA.

During February’s storms, calls

inundated the center long before snow

stopped falling. Staff worked to answer

more than 34,000 calls and 5,000 e-mails to

the info lines.

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FEMA Reimbursement

December 2009 Storm• FEMA only allows 48 hours of operations to be claimed• They pay 75% of the claim• Statewide: 75% of 48 hours’ cost equals about $8.7 million

February 2010 Storms• Reimbursement Process not complete yet• 75% of 48 hours rule still applies• Estimate statewide is $10 million• For both blizzards—total estimated compensation will be $18.7

million

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2009/2010 Budgets Vs. Actual Costs

Statewide Budget• $130 million

Statewide Actually Spent• $267 million

NOVA Budget• $27 million

NOVA Actually Spent• $130 million

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Communication: A Layered Approach

Media• Public Affairs issues round-the-clock updates and provides on-

camera/phone interviews before/during/after storms

• Public Affairs stationed at incident command

Elected Officials• Call reserved hotline

• Detailed updates from VDOT’s County Liaison

Public• Call 511 for road conditions

• Visit 511virginia.org for road conditions and traffic cams

• Follow 511northernva on Twitter for road conditions and accidents

• Visit www.YouTube.com/VDOTweb for snow removal tips

• Visit www.VirginiaDOT.org for news and road conditions

• E-mail novainfo@vdot.virginia.gov or call 703-383-8368 to report unplowed roads

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Get Snow Information Online

511virginia.org

TwitterYouTube

VirginiaDOT.org

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Post-Storm Activities

• Clearing Debris• Crews addressed downed trees and debris removal as part of ongoing

daily maintenance after the blizzards• Work was scheduled into the spring; residents and motorists can report

issues online or to 703-383-8368

• Addressing Potholes• Governor implemented statewide

“Pothole Blitz”• Crews filled almost 31,000 potholes

in March during the Governor’s “Pothole Blitz”• Crews using nine “Pothole Killers”

as well as traditional methods• Citizens encouraged to report

potholes online or to 703-383-8368One of nine “Pothole Killers” working in northern Virginia.

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What Worked Well

• Incident command, co-location with agencies at PSTOC

• Early mobilization and staging of equipment at critical locations (including subdivisions)

• Pre-treating and clearing interstates, high-volume roads

• Planning ahead for additional crews and equipment

• Morale and dedication

• Equipment reliability (mechanics 24/7; few breakdowns)

• Coordination with Virginia State Police, Fairfax County Police, 911, Fire and Rescue, utility companies, other agencies in emergency response

• No lives were lost!

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ImprovementsSince 2009/2010 Winter

• Subdivision response • Updated subdivision maps with more current information

• Reevaluated treatment options

• More troubleshooting fleets

• Expanded call center• Salem call center will supplement

• Earlier consistent communication will decrease calls

• AVL pilot program• Better monitoring of equipment

• More accurate responses to citizen inquiries

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Questions/Comments

VDOT Looks Forward to a Successful Winter Season in 2010/2011!