City Manager Jim Parajon is expected to deliver an update about snow response efforts in the City of Alexandria this evening (Tuesday).
Parajon is scheduled to provide the update during City Council’s legislative meeting, which will take place virtually at 7 p.m. The update will detail how the city prepared for snow, “what we have seen, where we need to amp up the response, and what you can expect over the next few days,” Mayor Alyia Gaskins said today on social media.
Crews are continuing to work 24/7, but cold and icy conditions have required them to go over some streets multiple times. Some smaller, residential streets, Gaskins said, are “complete sheets of ice.”
“We want you to be able to get back to work,” Gaskins said. “We want our businesses to open, and we want our kids in school.”
The city has authorized Parajon to bring in more equipment and form contracts with multiple companies to put more trucks on the road. As many as 109 snow removal trucks were roving the city on Monday, Gaskins said yesterday.
Alexandria began pretreating roads last week as Gov. Abigail Spanberger declared a state of emergency. Plows on Sunday morning were operating at Level 3 conditions, according to crews’ dispatches. This is the city’s most severe winter storm classification. Snow and sleet continued throughout the day.
Inclement weather has led to city government, facility, library and public school closures this week, as well as disruptions to local transit systems including Metro, DASH and DOT. Trash collection has also been postponed for a third day, and collection services will not happen on Wednesday.
ACPS has canceled in-person school tomorrow and will shift to synchronous virtual learning, and the city’s Winter Shelter (2355-A Mill Road) has extended its 24-hour operations until noon on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
On social media, Gaskins shed some light on differences between responses in Arlington and Fairfax counties. As a city, Alexandria does not receive snow removal assistance from the Virginia Department of Transportation, she said.
“Counties have VDOT to assist with their snow response. We do not,” Gaskins said. “And so we are working to get as much help as we can, but we don’t have the same additional support from the state that they do.”
Residents in need of assistance with shoveling can submit a request to Alex311. Eligible seniors, people with disabilities and people who are homebound may also request help through Volunteer Alexandria’s Snow Buddy Program.
“All I can tell you is that we’re going to keep working,” Gaskins said. “We know we’ve made progress, but we know we have more to do.”
A new Tuesday afternoon announcement from the City of Alexandria is available, below.
Our region has experienced a unique and very challenging winter weather event. The heavy snowfall, followed by a significant amount of sleet and freezing rain have created conditions that require our resources and specialized equipment to break up the significant ice on our roadway to facilitate our plowing operations.
We are making progress in getting all the streets plowed with the help of additional contracted equipment, but this will take time given the need to re-plow primary and secondary roads due to refreezing.
If you want to learn more about the winter storm’s impact across our region, here is a helpful analysis from the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang.
The City’s primary roads are currently 100 percent passable. Due to below freezing temperatures, crews continue plowing and treatment to address refreeze and re-covering, while expanding snow removal efforts into Residential Routes.
Residents can check the SnowReport tracking system for route priority/status updates.
City Operations Updates
- The Alexandria City Council Meeting scheduled for tonight will be held virtually. Those interested in viewing the meeting can watch live on alexandriava.gov/Dockets or register to watch virtually through Zoom.
- The Winter Shelter at 2355-A Mill Road (703.746.6551) is open with extended, 24-hour operations until Tuesday, February 3 at 12 p.m.
- Trash, recycling, and yard waste will not be collected Tuesday, January 27, due to weather and road conditions. Collection will “slide” by two days this week to accommodate snow and ice removal.
Stay Up to Date and Reporting
- Stay up to date with City operations and current information at alexandriava.gov/Alert
- Submit non-emergency concerns through 311
- Call 703.746.4444 to report downed trees and limbs on City streets, sidewalks, and property or any other non-emergency concerns.
- Call Dominion Energy at 866.DOM.HELP (866.366.4357) or go to dominionenergy.com to report trees on power lines and power outages
- Call Virginia American Water at 800.452.6863 to report a water main break or for questions about water service.
- Call 911 for emergencies.
