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DR. GRIDLOCK Robert Thomson
When driving in Maryland, cellphone permitted to call 911
D TRACY WOODWARD/THE WASHINGTON POST Virginia’s Department of Transportation has lined up 600 more contract trucks for the coming winter, after last year’s plowing battle.
Transportation officials plan for theworst L
BY ROBERT THOMSON
ast winter’s colossal snow- falls
whelmed transportation de-
partments in the D.C. region and created thousands of cases of cab- in fever among would-be com- muters. The road generals have madesomeadjustments basedon lessons learned. But forecasts for this winter suggest they won’t be askedto re-fight the lastwar.Here are some highlights of the plans from the major agencies.
VIRGINIA The Virginia Department of
Transportation is responsible for clearing subdivisions as well as main roads. Last winter, the de- partment faced these two fre- quently asked questions: Where’s our plow? What’s your definition of “passable”? The forecast:
temporarily over-
cast calls for at least twoinches of snow. Previously, trucks were de- ployed to subdivisions once two inches had fallen. More trucks: VDOT has lined
up 600 more contract trucks for this winter. Updated subdivision maps:
The department has updated its 650 maps for the subdivisions. Supervisors and plow drivers use these maps to complete the neighborhood assignments. The maps also show individual trou- ble spots. “Passable”:VDOTconsiders a
neighborhood street passable when a path is drivable, with caution, for an average passenger vehicle. The street still may be snow-packed, uneven and rutted.
MARYLAND “We get the message that we
Illustrating
some of the difficulties in prepar- ing to clear 17,679 lane miles in Northern Virginia,VDOTmainte- nance administrator Branco Vlacich displayed the National Weather Service forecast he re- ceived for the upcoming season: “equal chances for above-, near-, or below-normal temperatures and precipitation.” But Vlacich said further reviewwith forecast- ers suggested that we should pre- pare for fewer big snows and more ice. Trucks to subdivisions: Salt
and sand trucks will be sent to subdivisions whenever the fore-
have to manage expectations for reality,” said Valerie Burnette Ed- gar, director of communications for the Maryland State Highway Administration, which maintains about 17,000 miles of lanes on numbered routes statewide. That’s good. Last winter’s reali-
ty was that no mid-Atlantic trans- portation agency had the equip- ment and personnel to handle a rapid series of major storms. Yet jurisdictions sometimes set over- ly optimistic goals for getting life back to normal. Forecast: If we do get the win-
try mixes that aremoretypical for theWashington region than seri- al blizzards, that will represent a different set of challenges: Less
plowing, more treating. Pre-treating: The goal for this
winter is to pre-treat all inter- states and U.S. Route 50 before a storm. Last winter’s pilot project in which a salt brine/sugar beet molasses mixture was spread on someroads will expandto include the immediate D.C. area. The all- natural mix is environmentally friendlier,andstickier, than other solutions. Pre-treatments are not done if
a storm is likely to begin as rain. Even the sticky solutions wash away in rain before they can be effective. Emergency management:
Last snow season, stuck vehicles — particularly trucks — com- pounded already-severe prob- lems with clearing main roads. The goal this winter is to coordi- nate rapid responses to crashes and strandings that could make bad traffic jams much worse. The anti-congestion program could includetemporarydetours before traffic delays become extreme.
THEDISTRICT The District Department of
Transportation and the Depart- ment of Public Works treat and plow about 2,295 lane miles, bridges, overpasses and ramps. The District doesn’t plow alleys. While the city has a more concen- trated mix of main roads and side streets to deal with, it shared in the criticisms focused on other jurisdictions about slow and er- ratic clearing. Forecast: A new mayor, Vin-
cent C. Gray, will become the face of this winter’s snow-fighting ef- forts, but the city already is trying to apply lessons learned last win- ter. They include finding ways to mount a more aggressive, more flexible response to storms, no matter what form they take. Like VDOT, the District wants plow drivers to be familiar with its streets. Early this month, the de- partments dispatched more than 250 pieces of equipment in a simulated snow emergency to re- acquaint crews with the routes. Equipment andmanagement:
ANDREW HARRER/BLOOMBERG Last February’s blizzard-like conditions crippled the region for days.
The departments say they have new contingency plans for han- dling big accumulations and will
earDr.Gridlock: Inthe past, I’ve always called 911 to report
seriously erratic driving and possibleDUI
situations.These calls oftentook a long time, as I would followthe vehicle at a safe distance and give police an accurate descriptionof the vehicle, driver and location. Afewweeks ago,while
driving ona high-speed road late atnight inMaryland, I encountered a slow-moving car weaving inand out of the right lane.Either the driverwas overly tired, or itwas another case ofDUI. Ineither case, the vehiclewas a danger to other drivers onthe road. I started to press 9-1-1 onmy
emphasize ward-based manage- mentandfieldreporting to sharp- en the response. They have a new contract to rentupto 50 addition- al snowplows. Last winter, all the jurisdictions confronted a short- age of equipment for clearing massive accumulations. Once the snowstarts, it’s difficult to import more equipment in time to help. The District also has expanded
the variety of equipment it can employ to cope with different situations, including the anti-ic- ing treatment of neighborhood streets.
METRO Besides trying to keep the
trains and buses running as long as possible,Metro clears the areas around station entrances but not around bus
stops.Metrorail drew public criticism during the heavi- est snows when it shut aboveg- round service and restricted un- derground operations. Forecast:Metro’s basic winter
plan remains the
same.Metrorail will operate a close-to-normal schedule in up to six inches of snow. When the snow gets to eight inches and starts to cover the third rail, the transit authori- tymay suspend aboveground ser- vice. Metrobus will first reduce service depending on local route conditions, then if overall condi- tions deteriorate it will limit ser- vice to snow emergency routes. In a severe storm, it will halt all service. MetroAccess managers will curtail trips as road condi- tions deteriorate. Maintaining service: Main-
taining service on the exposed Yellow Line bridge over the Poto- mac River will be a priority. Engi- neers have modified ice scrapers on rail equipment to help keep tracks clear. Metrobus has told local jurisdictions which snow emergency routes need to be plowed to serve the maximum number of
communities.Metro is leasing four Bobcats and equip- ping six additional trucks with plows to clear bus garages. The transit authority also will buy up to 70 new snow blowers to speed removal from platforms and sta- tion entrances.
thomsonr@washpost.com
DR. G’S TIPS
TRAFFIC JAMAROUNDFEDEX This is a good day for Redskins
fans to take Metrorail to FedEx Field. The crowd driving to the 1p.m. football game with the Vi- kings will encounter the crowd returning fromThanksgiving hol- iday tripsalongthe east sideof the CapitalBeltway. The greatest crowding will be
aroundtheLandoverRoad,Arena Drive and Central Avenue ramps. Central is likely to be the least congested. But a better bet would be to take theBlueLine toMorgan BoulevardStationandwalk about nine-tenths of amile north to the stadium.
LANE SHIFTSONHSTREET The District Department of
Transportationplanstoshift lanes THE DAILY QUIZ
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at theintersectionofHandEighth streets NE beginning Monday to accommodate reconstruction of the road and the installation of streetcar tracks alongHStreet. The lane shifts will be in effect
for about nine weeks. The Eighth Street traffic across H Street will bemaintained,but it is likely tobe slowed somewhat by the lane re- strictions,DDOTsays. Traffic restrictions at the H
Street intersection with Sixth Street, originally scheduled to start lastweek,havebeenreset for Monday and Tuesday. From 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day, the 700 blockof SixthStreet,whichis one- way northbound,will be available only to local residential traffic. Drivers can use Fifth Street as an alternative.
BELTWAYDELAYS AHEAD Next weekend, the Woodrow
Wilson Bridge project plans to narrow the Capital Beltway’s in- ner loop from the Route 1 exit to just after Telegraph Road. This is likely to create a lot of congestion, anditwouldbebest totake anoth- er route betweenFridaynight and Sunday afternoon. At 9 p.m. Friday, one of the two
THRU lanes and one of the two LOCAL lanes in the area will be closed, leavingoneTHRUandone LOCAL lane open. Also, the inner loop exit for Telegraph Road South and the Telegraph Road South on-ramp to the inner loop will close. Also worthy of note: The ramp
fromTelegraphRoadNorth to the inner loop is set to close Friday
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night and remain closed for two weeks to allow work on an inter- change bridge.
ATTENTION, SHOPPERS MarciaMcAllister, spokeswom-
an for the Dulles Metrorail proj- ect, offers this caution for drivers heading to the shopping centers alongRoute 7 inTysonsCorner. Because all the mid-block left
turns have been eliminated to makewayfor therailproject inthe median,many driverswillneed to make U-turns along westbound Route 7 at busy intersections like Spring Hill Road and Gosnell Road/Westpark Drive to get to centers that host Marshalls, TJ Maxx, a brand new Home Goods, Best Buy, Sports Authority and other retailers. The Container
Store and others along the way have put up signs to direct shop- pers to alternate entrances.
BURROUGHS AVENUE PROJECT The District Department of
Transportation has broken ground for its latest Great Streets Project. This one will be along Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue
NE.Theproject, fundedby federal stimulus money, includes recon- struction of the roadway and new sidewalks, traffic signals, street- lights and
trees.Constructionwill start at Minnesota Avenue and proceed east toward Eastern Ave- nue. It should be done by March 2012.
PARKANDRIDE SHRINKING Parking at Reston East Park
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andRide onWiehleAvenue north of theDulles Toll Road is about to shrink because of construction connected to theDullesMetrorail project, which includes a station at Wiehle Avenue and Route 267. The park and ride, which will be the site of a garage for the station, is scheduled to lose 200 of its 820 spaces thismonth. This is just thepreliminaryutil-
itywork.By the time construction begins in earnest inMarch, all the spaceswill be eliminateduntil the 2,300-space garage is done. The station is scheduled to open in 2013.
Formore transportation news, go to
washingtonpost.com/transportation.
cellphone, thenremembered it wasnowillegal to drive and use a hand-held phone at the same
time.Calling the police and providing themwith the fact that Iwas still driving and using the phonewould be confessing to a crime! My choices:Either break the
law, or pull over to the side of the road. Knowing the very real
hazards of parking onthe shoulder of a highway, especially atnight,mademe think twice. I electednot to pull over and place the call. —BillMcCoskey,Taneytown
Maryland policewon’tnail
you formaking a 911
call.The lawthat took effectOct. 1makes anexceptionfor emergency
calls.My problemwith the law is that it’s prettyweak and difficult to enforce. InMaryland, the lawis a
secondary offense, so a law enforcement officerwould have to stop a driver for some other reasonbefore issuing the$40 ticket for a first offense onthe cellphone ban. Still, there are related primary offenses including speeding and negligent driving that could lead to such a situation. Part of the benefit of passing
such a law—evenas a secondary offense—is that it helps stigmatize the dangerous driving
behavior.Virginia lacks a hands-free law, butAAAMid- Atlantic andTransurban-Fluor, the consortiumbuilding the high-occupancy toll lanes along theCapitalBeltway, have gotten the support of local officials and lawenforcement ina safety awareness campaignthey call “
OrangeCones.No Phones.” The goal is to get drivers to
put downtheir phoneswhen driving through roadwaywork zones. Inaway, the sponsors want to creatework-free zones inside people’s
cars.They found ina survey thatmanymotorists are using their phones forwork, turning theBeltway into an office. So the campaignis asking employers to tell employees that it’s okay to shut the phones offwhile they’re driving. McCoskey’s scenario helps
illustrate another safety issue. Of course, it’s best to stop
driving before using the cellphone, butmake sure you’re ina safe
place.The shoulder of a highwaymaynot be that place.
DearDrGridlock: I have beenriding our
subways formore than30 years, and the biggest obstacle our systemhas is adaptation.When it comes to overcrowded cars, it was slowtomodify designto holdmore passengers safely and discourage congregating at the
doors.Thenewest design works at rush hour and allows for easy boarding and exiting. Now, escalatorsneed the
same kind of
innovation.More thanhalf our escalators are short distancemezzanine-to- platformones that consume maintenance and energy needed for the longer distance mezzanine-to-surface escalators. We cannot continue to have
affordable rail transportationif we don’t adapt to the size of our systemand the ridership it
carries.NewYork doesnot have thismany escalators,nor could
it.As you have stated over and over,no other subway system has thismany escalators. Start by replacing thesenarrow escalatorswithwider staircases. The simple truth is,most of
uswould ratherwalk a short set of stairs to aworking set of escalators thanbe trapped in RosslynorDupontCircle without anyworking escalators. —DuaneReed,Rosslyn
Good
idea.Metro’s 588
escalators constitute an important part of the region’s transit system, but they are aging and failing. It has become very clear over the past decade that the transit authority cannot keep upwith the task of maintaining
them.Reed’s proposalwould cut the burden onthemaintenance staffwhile giving riders analternative to squeezing up and downthe out- of-service escalators.
Dr.Gridlock also appears Thursday in Local Living. Comments and questions arewelcome andmay be used in a column, alongwith the writer’s name and home community.Write
toDr.Gridlock at TheWashington Post, 115015th St. NW,Washington,
D.C.20071.By e- mail:
drgridlock@washpost.com.His blog:
washingtonpost.com/drgridlock.On Twitter: drgridlock.
6
on
postlocal.com Going up?
Track Metro’s escalator performance by using
an online tool at
washingtonpost.com/ transportation, and join Dr. Gridlock at noon Monday for a live chat.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2010
A complete list of PostPoints Spots can be found at
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