With the first flakes already having hit the ground on Dec. 8 – albeit in the form of what colloquially is called “conversational snow” – Arlington government officials are gearing up to face Mom Nature, come what may this winter season.
“Arlington snow operations involve multiple departments plus external partners, making for a non-stop response force of several hundred people working in shifts to maintain core services,” county officials said in a Dec. 9 preview of snow-removal operations.
The Arlington government has responsibility for more than 1,000 lane-miles of roadways, 21 bridges and overpasses, 10 miles of trails, six miles of bike lanes and 35 miles of sidewalks.
“A winter-weather alert of snow, ice or freezing rain sets crews in motion according to an established set of pre-treatment and removal phases,” officials said.
Plowing roadways generally begins when snow becomes 2 to 4 inches deep. Initial work focuses on major roads and trails, with residential streets coming later – in a snowstorm of more than 10 inches, sometimes much later.
After a whopper storm, “It may take 36 to 48 hours after the snow stops falling before county plows start clearing residential streets or trails,” officials said.
After a snowstorm has petered out, residents can go to https://gis.arlingtonva.us/mapapps/snowpublic to alert county officials of areas that have not been plowed.