WASHINGTON (7News) — It’s now been well over a week since the snow and ice storm hit our area, but things are still far from normal on area roads.
DMV officials say that the storm, which included not just snow but also ice, in addition to much colder-than-normal temperatures, has made clearing roads difficult.
Crews in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. have been focusing at least in part on trying to get major roads back to normal. In many cases throughout the region, right and left lanes will suddenly become impassable because of snow and ice on the roadway. Also, many turn lanes are still buried in snow, and in many cases, merge areas at exits are small or nonexistent.
SEE ALSO | ‘Snowcrete’ piles persist as DC leaders push cleanup efforts forward
Alex Liggitt with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said getting busy roads back to normal was one of VDOT’s priorities on Tuesday, but he warned that drivers need to be careful and recognize that things are still not back to normal, especially when they are merging onto a road.
“You need to be prepared to stop instead of merging as you usually do, because you may not have a full merge lane ahead to get yourself back into traffic,” Liggitt said. “You may actually have to stop, look, and merge just like you do at a stop sign, or a red light.”
SEE ALSO | Body pulled from icy Potomac near 14th Street bridge in DC
Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA) spokesperson Charlie Gischler said MDSHA crews were also focused on returning state roads to normal by working to restore turn lanes, shoulders, and ramps. He asked residents to please not make the job of road crews even harder.
“We want to ask folks, if you’re shoveling, to not shovel into the roadway,” Gischler said. “Because we could have a lane clear, then all of the sudden there’s a speed bump there made out of ice.”
Local Story
