The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is responsible for removing snow and ice from the thousands of miles of public roads (interstate, primary, and secondary) in Fairfax County, including Crosspointe streets.  Below are some commonly asked questions regarding the snow removal of Crosspointe streets to include some helpful links for residents, provided by VDOT.

How soon will all roads be passable after a winter storm? Other secondary roads and subdivision streets will be treated if multiday storms hit Virginia, but crews will focus their efforts on those roads that carry the most traffic. The innovative Web tool, found at www.VirginiaDOT.org

Where do I park during snow storms - It is helpful to the VDOT clean-up crews that plow our roads if you can park your vehicles in your driveways. If you must park on the road - park on the side of the road with the odd numbers so plows can clear most of the road.

VDOT’s goal is to make all roads passable within 48 hours after a winter storm ends. Our snow-removal crews work around the clock until conditions are safe for travel. At night, hills and trouble spots are covered with abrasives, such as sand, cinders or fine stone. Beginning around 4 a.m., crews prepare the roads for rush-hour traffic.

How does VDOT decide what roads to clear first? Common sense dictates that roads carrying the most traffic get top priority. VDOT clears interstates and most primary roads first. It also plows major secondary roads with vital emergency and public facilities or those with high traffic volumes.

Why do plows block my driveway with snow when they clear the road? To make as many roads passable as quickly as possible, there is no way to avoid this practice. We are sorry for this  inconvenience. VDOT plow operators push snow off the roadway in smooth, continuous passes. It ends up in gutters and on road shoulders, sometimes blocking driveways. To avoid doing double work, shovel snow from your driveway after a plow has been by. Shovel it to the right of your driveway as you face the road.

Every year the street next to mine gets plowed, and my street is passed by until much later. Why? Many subdivisions have more than one snowplow assigned to clear their streets. If the plow you see doesn’t get to your street, it means another one has been assigned to your part of the neighborhood and will be along soon. VDOT created a “snowplow tracker” so you can find out where plows have been and where they’re going in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties. 

http://novasnowplowing.virginia.gov/pages/MapStreet.aspx, activates after it has snowed two inches or more in these Northern Virginia counties. 

Information for drivers and residents. See the status of plowing in northern Virginia neighborhoods: www.vdotplows.org

Follow @vadotnova on Twitter, and for real-time traffic updates, follow @511northernva, use the 511app or visit www.511virginia.org. Report unplowed roads, hazardous conditions to novainfo@vdot.virginia.gov or 800.367.7623.