Work to clean up storm debris on primary roads finally completed
RICHMOND, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- The Virginia Department of Transportation says work to clean up debris from the Jan. 3 snowstorm has finally been finished.
According to a release, contractors collected more than two million cubic yards of debris in VDOT’s Culpeper and Richmond districts, transporting more than 44,000 container loads of it to various collection sites for chipping and disposal.
The work to clean up all the downed trees and limbs began in February.
VDOT says it cost more than $53 million to remove storm debris from roadsides in the two districts.
“This storm left an unprecedented amount of debris, and our crews responded quickly to keep roads, including Interstate 64, open during the storm,” said Culpeper District Maintenance Engineer David Pearce. “They then quickly pivoted to begin the cleanup while also beginning the complex task of coordinating their work with the debris removal contractors.”
Work to remove storm debris from secondary roads and neighborhood streets is still underway, and that is expected to last for some time while crews also conduct regular maintenance activities.
The amount of debris brought down by the Jan. 3 storm far surpassed the damage caused by the 2012 derecho, which brought down about 120,000 cubic yards of debris.
“Although that cleanup was significant, it pales in comparison with the efforts required in the wake of the Jan. 3 snow storm,” Pearce said.
The Culpeper District includes the counties of Albemarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock. The Richmond District includes the counties of Amelia, Brunswick, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, New Kent, Nottoway, Powhatan and Prince George, as well as the primary roads in Henrico County.