[Archived] City of Alexandria Prepares for Winter Weather

For Immediate Release: December 12, 2017

Responding to winter weather events is a top priority for the City of Alexandria. During the winter months, City staff track potential storms 24 hours a day. On-call City crews and contractors are available around the clock to perform snow and ice removal. Months of planning, preparation, and training beforehand helps the City clear streets and sidewalks safely and effectively each snow season.

Alexandria clears snow from more than 560 lane miles of roadway, 20 miles of City-owned walkways and trails, and 44 acres of municipal parking lots or City-owned squares. Removing snow and ice from this large network of streets and sidewalks takes time, hard work, and communication between residents, business owners, and the City.

Here are some important facts to know about snow removal and winter weather emergencies in Alexandria:

• In Alexandria, storms are designated with levels based on type and severity, from Level 1 (least severe) to Level 3 (most severe). Storm levels are updated on the City’s website as the weather changes.
• Roads are plowed by priority. Snow emergency routes are plowed first, followed by secondary routes, intermediate routes, and then residential streets. The City’s SnowReport tracking system allows residents to view plowing priorities, check the status of individual streets, and submit concerns.
• Clearing sidewalks, driveways, and entrances is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner, occupant, community association, or business. Time limits are determined by the storm level: Level 1 = 24 hours, Level 2 = 48 hours, Level 3 = 72 hours.
• The City pretreats roads with brine on Fridays when low temperatures or precipitation are possible over the weekend. This preventative anti-icing measure, along with the City’s usual snow and ice prevention and removal techniques, helps keep roads safer.

Residents and customers are asked to do the following to help snow crews and emergency responders during winter storms and other weather emergencies:

• Stay off the roads in the event of snow or ice
• Don’t park on snow emergency routes
• Keep shovels and salt or sand handy
• Have an emergency plan in place and an emergency kit prepared
• Clear ice, snow, and leaves from around fire hydrants and storm drains, and avoid shoveling snow into the street

For more information about preparing for winter emergencies and the City’s winter weather plans, visit alexandriava.gov/Snow.

For media inquiries, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.