Supervisors fault VDOT for snow failures

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14 passed a resolution calling for VDOT to improve its snowplowing operations.

After a blizzard dropped 5 to 9 inches of snow on Fairfax County on Jan. 6, VDOT failed to do an adequate job of clearing the streets, said Supervisor James Bierman (Dranesville).

VDOT, not Fairfax County, is responsible for snow removal on all public roads. However, the motion states, “The Board of Supervisors understands that it is our job to ensure that our residents are safe and have access to their homes, neighborhoods, and services.”

VDOT is supposed to clear all roads within 72 hours. The agency is required to make sure all roads are passable by clearing an 8 to 10-foot path for emergency vehicle access.

“More than 72 hours after the storm ended, numerous side streets in the county were not passable but instead were caked in ice,” Bierman said. “Efforts to get VDOT to return to certain neighborhood streets repeatedly failed.”

“Snow removal worked well in a lot of the county,” said Board Chair Jeff McKay. “In other areas, it just did not work at all.”

Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez said he got a lot complaints from residents. “People didn’t feel safe.”

While VDOT has an online map where residents can track the movement of snowplows, that information was often inaccurate, Bierman said. “Planning, execution, and communication fell far short of the service level that our residents demand and deserve, especially given the volume of snow that fell.”

The motion calls for the county executive to “request that VDOT provide a full after-action assessment of what went wrong focused on planning before the snow and execution after it fell.” That should also include information about the performance of VDOT contractors.

Additionally, the motion requests VDOT identify additional measures the agency will implement to improve service during future snowstorms.

Bierman blamed some of the problems on “the variability of information contractors were providing to VDOT.” He said VDOT needs to ensure its contractors are providing accurate information so the agency knows which streets need to be plowed again.

The board’s Transportation Committee will discuss these problems in more detail. School officials will be invited to that meeting.

Noting that schools were closed for four days just after winter break, McKay said, “I’m shocked we didn’t go into virtual learning. Kids need to be engaged in learning when they’re not in school.”