WASHINGTON — It can be tough for salt and plow trucks to navigate narrow neighborhood streets. Highway crews want cars parked in driveways if possible. Otherwise drivers should pay attention to where they park.
“Park on the odd numbered side of the street. That is going to allow our plows plenty of room to pass,” says Virginia Department of Transportation Spokeswoman Joan Morris.
Also, to avoid shoveling a sidewalk cut through or end of a driveway twice – wait to shovel until after snow plows come through.
“Nothing is more frustrating than shoveling your driveway and having the plow push all the snow right back into it,” says Morris.
In addition to waiting, Morris recommends shoveling driveways to the right as you’re facing the road.
Where are the plows?
Once a few inches of snow has fallen homeowners can tell where Virginia snowplows are by checking online and plugging in their address.
“It’s a terrific tool,” Morris says.
VDOTPlows.org updates every few minutes revealing at least three things in addition to showing truck routes and road cameras:
- Whether plows are working in your neighborhood
- Whether plows have finished your neighborhood
- Whether plows have not started your neighborhood yet
During snow events Morris says VDOT used to get as many as 30,000 calls from people curious about road status. The number of those calls has been cut dramatically now that people can observe some of the same information VDOT supervisors monitor online.
“People don’t have to hang on the phone waiting for VDOT,” Morris says.
Snow plow information for other areas:
- D.C. : snowmap.dc.gov.
- Montgomery County
