A contractor providing roadway maintenance to portions of Interstate 66 and the Capital Beltway in Northern Virginia abruptly closed in late October, citing material costs, labor shortages and a loss of funding from its primary lender.
DBi Services provided maintenance services to Interstate 66, Interstate 495 and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, including drainage, mowing, guardrail repairs, debris and roadkill pickups, and incident response, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The company also maintained all of Northern Virginia’s rest areas.
“Macroeconomic forces as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including supply chain disruptions, higher material costs and the labor shortage, coupled with increased financial requirements from sureties and lenders, impeded the company’s ability to successfully execute and finance its projects,” DBi Services said in a statement.
VDOT was notified of the closure on Oct. 22. DBi Services said it is “is working diligently to manage as smooth a transition as possible.”
The loss of the contactor shouldn’t interrupt critical road maintenance. Marshall Herman, VDOT’s assistant director of communications, said the state has positioned resources to service roads in DBi’s absence.
“As the situation has been unfolding, we were making sure that there was a continuity of services,” Herman said. “So there has not been a lapse in any services.”
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be delays in mending isolated issues such as roadway debris. Herman said VDOT is “focusing on critical needs,” such as responding to crashes.
“You may see a delay here and there, but overall, we will continue to provide a level of service that our motorists expect from us,” Herman said.
WTOP’s John Aaron contributed to this report.
