Snowflakes have already flown in the Williamsburg area this year.
That means it’s time to start thinking about snow — and driving in it.
In the Historic Triangle, both the City of Williamsburg and Virginia Department of Transportation are readying their plows.
On Dec. 4, the day before a few flurries broke out in eastern Virginia, VDOT announced their snow plan for the 2018-2019 winter season.
VDOT has budgeted $8.4 million for the snow season in Hampton Roads, the department said in a news release. Overall, VDOT has more than 470 pieces of equipment available for snow- and ice-control in the region alone, including trucks, front end loaders and backhoes.
VDOT can also hire additional equipment if needed.
The goal is to have all state-maintained roads passable within 48 hours of the end of a winter storm.
“Snow-removal crews work around the clock until conditions are safe for travel,” said Brittany McBride Nichols, VDOT spokeswoman.
Locally, how many plows are there?
While VDOT has over 470 pieces of equipment covering snow removal in Hampton Roads, James City County and York County have been assigned 17 trucks with snow plows and spreaders.
The cost to operate the snow plows is calculated after each storm event, McBride Nichols said.
McBride said VDOT has contracted with private plow companies to add about 15 additional trucks to the fleet.
The City of Williamsburg has five snow plows, one small plow for parking lots, and four snow blowers for city properties and sidewalks, said Dan Clayton, the city’s director of public works.
The city does not contract with any private companies to clear snow, Clayton said, but the city typically is able to plow public neighborhood streets earlier than “the norm.”
Some neighborhoods with private roads and homeowners associations are not cleared by public snow plows — those neighborhoods must hire their own.
City spokeswoman Lee Ann Hartmann said a larger snow storm in January 2018 cost the city $43,000 for staff overtime, gas, salt, sand and other snow removal activities.
What gets cleared first?
Main roads are going to be the first.
“Safety and connectivity are key, so roads carrying the most traffic get top priority,” McBride Nichols said.
On state-maintained roads — including public roads in James City County and York County and a part of Monticello Avenue in Williamsburg — VDOT works to clear primary roads first.
Primary roads are plowed first, followed by secondary roads with “vital emergency and public facilities,” McBride Nichols said.
The roads plowed first include those with hospitals, fire stations, military posts, schools and more.
After those main roads are cleared, plows move on the the residential streets.
Here’s the rundown on VDOT’s clearance goals for one passable lane on all roads:
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- 2-4 inches of snow: 24 hours after a storm ends
- 6 inches of snow: 48 hours after storm ends
- More than 6 inches of snow: more than 48 hours after storm ends
For more snow- or VDOT-related questions, visit VDOT’s snow page.
