A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Virginia Transportation Department Ready for Winter Weather

Don Rush

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The Virginia Department of Transportation says it's stocked up with supplies to clear the state's highways when it snows this winter.

The department has more than 657,000 tons of salt, sand and treated abrasives on hand. It also has 1.7 million gallons of liquid calcium chloride and salt brine.

More than 13,000 pieces of snow-removal equipment stand at the ready. That includes something new this year - four trucks in the Staunton area equipped with wing plows, which have a front blade and a side blade and can do the job of two traditional plows.

Another innovation is an online snowplow tracker in northern Virginia. If snow reaches two inches or more, VDOT activates an online neighborhood tracking map that monitors the status of plowing in the district.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.