Alexandria crews are continuing to remove snow throughout the city today (Wednesday), with plans to address snow piles affecting some of the city’s 2,000 intersections.
As of this morning, crews have already hauled out more than 5,000 loads of snow, Mayor Alyia Gaskins said on social media. Efforts today will zero in on clearing intersections and the city’s West End, she said.
“We’ll focus heavily on the West End today, which is our highest population area of the city, but also an area where we have a number of dangerous intersections and areas where we need to get additional visibility and ADA accessibility,” Gaskins said.
Snow piles had accumulated around the city’s intersections as crews made multiple passes over some streets. Some primary roads, like Duke Street, had to receive passes up in the double digits, according to the city.
“In many neighborhoods, there was nowhere else to put it,” Gaskins said. “So now, we’re going back and removing those giant snow piles.”
The process can sometimes take more than an hour per intersection, Gaskins said, as crews must chop piles before transferring them into dump trucks for disposal.
As travel increases outdoors, residents should expect an adjusted response.
“It means that we’re returning to normal — but it also means that we can’t bring out the same equipment that we were using for safety reasons,” Gaskins said. “It also means that we can’t have five or six dump trucks and plows on a major intersection or a major street.”
Sidewalks remained another focal point as the city resumed its ordinance enforcement yesterday (Tuesday), giving residents and businesses 72 hours to clear adjacent sidewalks, driveways and entrances. The city plans to issue warnings “and will be offering help to those who are still struggling,” Gaskins said.
Meanwhile, Alexandria City Public Schools students and staff have returned to classrooms with a two-hour delay for the second day this week.
Gaskins encouraged residents with concerns to send 311 requests directly to Transportation & Environmental Services for a faster response.
The city is removing an average of roughly 600 truckloads of snow per day, Gaskins said.
