Winter will be here before you know it, and that means snow covered roads.
Before that happens, the Virginia Department of Transportation is preparing for winter roads.
VDOT recently announced it was preparing for winter conditions with additional staff, equipment and materials.
“Our top priority is to keep motorists safe,” said Kevin Gregg, chief of maintenance and operations for VDOT. “The Commonwealth has a complex network of roads and bridges, and we prepare year-round to keep Virginia moving when winter weather arrives. Our crews are trained, experienced and equipped to get the job done when those first flakes fall.”
While residents are still enjoying what’s left of fall, VDOT has set aside $205 million for winter weather this year. That includes more than 2,500 VDOT crew members and additional contractors for snow removal across the state.
The budget also provides more than 12,1000 pieces of snow-removal equipment, including trucks, loaders and motor graders. In addition, VDOT will be supplied with approximately 700,000 tons of salt, sand and treated abrasives and more than 2.4 million gallons of liquid calcium chloride and salt brine, according to the department.
But VDOT wants to make sure residents are prepared as well. Virginia residents now have access to VDOT’s online snowplow tracker map. If there are two inches or more of snow across the state, VDOT trucks, which are equipped with automatic vehicle location technology, can be monitored during snow-removal operations.
VDOT also encourages residents to regularly monitor weather forecasts and plan for winter driving ahead of time. Motorists can access information on traffic and road conditions before traveling at 511virginia.org.
For more information, visit VDOT winter weather online.
