By KELLY HANNON
One word sums up VDOT's new winter strategy: pre-treating.
Before snow or ice has a chance to reach pavement this season, the Virginia Department of Transportation will apply salt, chemicals and a liquid brine solution to roads up to 48 hours in advance of storms.
The goal is to treat roads--especially Interstate 95--before motorists are stranded on a bridge or overpass. Hundreds were stuck last February on the Springfield Interchange when an unexpected ice storm hit.
The interchange's ramps had not been extensively pre-treated, since weather reports did not forecast a serious storm. VDOT devoted months to studying the incident and how operations could be improved.
Consequently, pre-treating will get a new emphasis.
In the Fredericksburg area, the region is getting eight tanker trucks that can "brine" Interstate 95 from Prince William County to Hanover County before a storm.
The salt brine solution will prevent water from seeping into the pavement's pores and freezing, said David Stanley, VDOT's Fredericksburg Residency administrator. "It's going to really prevent that bond of ice from forming on the pavement," Stanley said.
For people who think of brining as something done only to the Thanksgiving turkey, Stanley offered another example.
"You may use aluminum foil to keep what you're cooking from sticking to the pan," Stanley said. "Brine has the same effect."
Some New England states have used brine solution pre-treatment for several years.
Statewide, VDOT has budgeted $75.8 million for snow removal this winter, down from $80.6 million last year and $82.6 million in the winter of 2006-2007.
In the Fredericksburg District, there is $4.7 million for snow removal, up some from last winter.
Overall, Virginia's transportation funding could decrease by up to $2.6 billion over the next six years, and VDOT is eliminating hundreds of positions as a result.
To put snow-removal funding in perspective, a statewide snow event that affects each of VDOT's districts costs $10 million a day, Stanley said.
VDOT is hoping for a mild winter. But it will be ready, in case it is not.
The Fredericksburg District has 500 VDOT and contractor vehicles to remove snow, and it has 25,000 gallons of liquid calcium chloride, 15,000 tons of salt and 7,000 tons of sand stored to treat roads.
VDOT's top priority in a storm is clearing the interstate first. Next to be cleared are primary roads and secondary roads. Subdivision streets are last.
VDOT aims to clear every road 48 hours after the end of a storm, said Tina Bundy, department spokeswoman for the Fredericksburg District.
The public can do a few things to help VDOT keep the roads clear.
First, consider staying off the road during the first two hours of any storm. That's when the most crashes occur, Stanley said.
A crash will endanger your life and the lives of others, but it will also prevent plows from clearing the road.
"The snow plows have to sit in the same traffic everyone else is sitting in," said Kenny Hale, transportation maintenance superintendent for VDOT's Massaponax Area Headquarters.
Do not pass a snow plow, Bundy said.
Plow drivers may not see a vehicle passing them in a blind spot. In addition, slush being removed by the plow could be flung onto your vehicle along with road-treatment solutions.
And finally, if you stay behind the plow, you benefit from a safer, treated road, Stanley said.
He recalled his first job at VDOT, driving a snow plow in Warrenton. A car passed his plow and crashed up ahead on the road.
"Had that driver just had patience and stayed behind me, they wouldn't have had the serious situation they got in," Stanley said.
Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com
| Want to check road conditions before you leave home? Especially in winter, VDOT encourages motorists to view updated road conditions at: 511virginia.org.
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