State transportation system learned the hard way from icy I-95 … – Roanoke Times

SCOTT SHENKThe (Fredericksburg) Free LanceStar

On New Years weekend a year ago, the weather was springlike, with a high of 71 degrees on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022.

But storms were brewing and they would come fast and pound Northern Virginias regional transportation system into submission.

That Sunday was also mild, but rain started to fall. Then the temperature plummeted from the mid-60s that afternoon to 33 that night, and the forecast called for wet snow. More than 1,000 airplane flights were canceled due to the weather and COVID-19-related staffing shortages.

Alerts were issued by the National Weather Service as well as state agencies, including the Virginia Department of Transportation, State Police and the Department of Emergency Management. Travelers were warned to avoid driving if possible.

But drivers decided to head onto the interstate anyway.

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Rain, and the temperature, continued falling early Monday, Jan. 3, making the pavement slick.

At 4 a.m., the first in a cascade of crashes happened when a tractor-trailer jackknifed on Interstate 95 near the State Route 610 exit in Stafford County.

A heavy, wet snow soon started to fall, and was accumulating at a high rate. Power lines and trees started to fall, knocking out electricity in the region and blocking some emergency responders and tow trucks from reaching the interstate. Communications also were impacted.

Snow plows couldnt keep up with the fast-falling snow, and the traffic compressed the wet snow covering the pavement. By 3 p.m. the snow stopped falling, but there was more than a foot blanketing the region.

The interstate and area roads were coated with thick, wet snow. Crashes and stranded vehicles crippled the interstate between Richmond and Washington.

As crews tried to clear wrecked and stalled vehicles from the interstate, night fell, and the snow turned to ice. Hundreds of travelers were stranded in their vehicles in freezing temperatures. Many would be stuck for more than 24 hours.

At 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, the state closed access to I-95 along a 48-mile stretch between Caroline and Prince William counties before eventually digging out stranded travelers and clearing the roads.

State agencies took a lot of heat for the response. An audit by the Office of the State Inspector General found that the agencies lost situational awareness, among other issues.

The audit highlighted a range of items, across state agencies, including the lack of a plan for such a major event as well as too few contractors to clear roads. Poor communication was cited as a contributing factor in the storm response. The audit also laid out various steps to improve responses to future storms.

Since the January storm, state agencies have made changes.

The commonwealth successfully navigated multiple winter weather events including three declared states of emergency after the Jan. 3 event without major disruptions to the traveling public, VDOT communications manager Kelly Hannon said in an email.

She noted that VDOT, state police, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the National Guard were ready and coordinated for the storms, setting up staging areas and mobilizing staff ahead of time.

Since then, VDOT also has undertaken a major review of its strategies during inclement weather, said in an email. She added that VDOT is working in with the emergency management department and state police to address the items noted in the Office of the State Inspector Generals corrective action plan to help us meet our agencys mission.

VDOT expects to complete its report to OSIG by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, VDOT has continued implementing various changes to its storm response.

One approach involves staff training geared specifically to major event response, including FEMA Emergency Management Institute courses.

VDOT also has established a long-term road closure plan, which will be continuously improved by the department, along with the emergency management department and state police.

The plan includes approaches to keeping vehicles from becoming trapped as they did in the January storm. If that fails, the plan calls for on-site responders to handle wellness checks and a wireless emergency alert system to communicate with stranded travelers.

Various agencies and first responders informally set up in some areas prior to the January storm, but not all of them did. That co-location approach has since become part of the states formal response to major storms.

VDOT will establish command centers in its districts when major weather hits, something aimed at improving local and statewide communications. VDOTs Fredericksburg districts will set up a local command center when a forecast calls for more than an inch of snow or more than 1/10-inch of ice.

VDOT said it also has identified more areas to set up wreckers and plows for storms, if necessary, with a particular focus on work zones.

In an effort to supplement its traffic cameras which went dark in the January storm after power was knocked out VDOT will have staff drive routes to report on road conditions. The agency is also exploring back-up power options.

Hannon pointed out that VDOT will soon implement some new tools to respond to emergency situations: a new two-way communications system between drivers and VDOT in defined geographicgeo-fencedareas; and in-cab safety alerts for drivers clearing roads during significant storms.

VDOT also is working with the traffic app WAZE to provide emergency updates.

Hannon said VDOT also is developing the next generation of our 511 system, which is expected to be complete in mid-2023.

In a news release, VDOT said it has improved its efforts to fill contractor and equipment shortages as well as its communications and command structure for better internal and interagency cooperation during crisis events.

The department also reviewed its strategies to inform the public and made various adjustments, highlighted by what is calls a more aggressive messaging encouraging motorists to avoid travel when those conditions warrant.

The messages also will be sent across a range of platforms, from VDOTs 511 system to local news, social media, VDOTs customer service center and digital signs along the interstate.

VDOT is a member of the multi-state Eastern Transportation Coalition, which shares information and messaging during storms like the one that hit last January.

Coalition states can use that information to spread the word about major traffic disruptions to travelers long before they reach a situation like the I-95 shutdown.

State agencies havent yet been challenged like they were last winter, but they got a chance for a test run in mid-December when there was potential for winter weather.

The storm didnt spawn any major road issues, but Hannon said Fredericksburg District snow removal contractors rehearsed plow train techniques on I95.

The real challenge could come any time now, as winter has set in with this weeks weather proving eerily similar to a year ago: warmer-than-expected temperatures followed by rain and bitter cold.

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State transportation system learned the hard way from icy I-95 ... - Roanoke Times