Neighborhood streets slowly improve, but patience wears thin

WASHINGTON — Several area jurisdictions promised on Tuesday that roads would be at least partially cleared by Wednesday morning, but WTOP reporters and listeners are finding results to be mixed.

He said the county received two calls from people who felt their streets “weren’t done quite adequately,” but, he said, “We’ve done it. …

“There may be one or two spots here and there we have to pick up, and we’ll do that, so give us a call.”

WTOP’s Neal Augenstein found at least one road that had been abandoned, however, and listeners sent in pictures of others:

The plow simply stopped, halfway down Thistlebridge Way in Rockville. #WTOPsnow pic.twitter.com/RSk3Kr0oXg

— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) January 27, 2016

Residents at the end of Thistlebridge Way in Rockville were close to getting dug out: Snow plows made their first visit to the small dead end street late Tuesday night, plowed a portion of the road, then departed, leaving seven homes unplowed, under approximately two feet of snow. Neighbor Michael Karl tells WTOP he was relieved to see plows in front of his home after midnight, early Thursday. “From what I saw out the window, it looked like one truck was attempting to clear the snow, and got stuck,” said Karl. “Another truck came to get that truck unstuck and they left — we thought they’d be coming back, but didn’t. While plows had completed the task in front of Karl’s driveway, he empathizes with “several neighbors at the end of our cul-de-sac are not overly thrilled with this, obviously, and still stuck after several days.”

The plow didn’t make it to the end of Thistlebridge Way in Rockville, says resident Michael Karl. #WTOPsnow pic.twitter.com/OGAB5WRrrG

— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) January 27, 2016

Augenstein also finds that both lanes are mostly clear on Md. 28 in Dickerson, but at some points drivers are having to edge into the oncoming lane, creating a potentially dangerous situation.

In Prince George’s County, the Department of Public Works and Transportation says the goal is to have all residential roads passable by 9 p.m. Wednesday. As of Tuesday evening, the county said that 95 percent of the main roads were passable, and 40 percent of the neighborhood roads.

The county’s snowplow tracking map is still not working. As an alternative, you can visit http://www.pgctrip.com/ to see county traffic cameras and updated information.

Virginia

On Tuesday, Jennifer McCord, of the Virginia Department of Transportation, had said that 40 percent of the roads in Northern Virginia’s subdivisions hadn’t been cleared. On Wednesday, she said that in the last 24 hours, crews had taken heavy equipment off the primary and secondary roads and into the subdivisions “to try to get a pass for everyone overnight.”

“That lane will not be perfect, of course.”

If you still haven’t gotten a pass from a snowplow, she says, call the hotline at 1-800-367-ROAD.

In Alexandria, officials report that all streets are passable for emergency vehicles — noting that “passable” may only mean that one lane has been cleared. They said crews would be back at work on Wednesday, working on hilly areas and improving access and sight lines.

The numbers and links to report unplowed streets are below.

D.C.

On Tuesday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that enforcement of the city’s snow-shoveling requirements for businesses, and, though she said residents wouldn’t be ticketed, urged them to clear sidewalks so kids, who returned to school Wednesday, wouldn’t have to walk in the street.

On Wednesday morning, WTOP’s Kathy Stewart says that “people are driving over medians” on the roads — “it’s ridiculous” — and adds that older students were walking in streets on the way to school. She’d seen two small school buses on the streets, “and that is it.”

Report Snow Plowing Issues

D.C.

Report problems online. See live road conditions.

MARYLAND

County Roads Departments across Maryland: Phone numbers for each county 

Maryland State Highway Administration: Report highway emergencies: 1-800-543-2515

Anne Arundel County: Submit a report online.

Charles County: 301-932-3450 or 1-888-460-SNOW

Frederick County, Maryland: 301-600-1564

City of Frederick: Submit a report online

Prince George’s County: 311 or submit online 

Montgomery County: mc311.com or call 311

VIRGINIA

Virginia Department of Transportation:  800-367-7623 or email novainfo@vdot.virginia.gov. Seewhere the plows are.

Alexandria: Submit a report online.

Arlington County: Submit a report online or call 703-228-6485

Fairfax County: Report snow issues to Chair Sharon Bulova’s office at 703-324-2321 orchairman@fairfaxcounty.gov.