What A Week

‘Snow-crete’ Complicated Removal Efforts, Daily Lives

Nearly 10 days after a winter storm coated the region in snow and sleet, people and crews across the Rockbridge area are still clearing hardened ice from roads, campuses and sidewalks, while schools, farms and public agencies continue working through the storm’s lingering effects.

While snowfall totals fell short of early forecasts, prolonged subfreezing temperatures left behind thick, compacted ice that proved harder to remove than snow alone. Temperatures dipped into single digits several times, even got down to zero in some regions, and did not rise above freezing from Saturday night, Jan. 24, until Monday, Feb. 2, allowing layers of sleet and snow to freeze solid against pavement.

Instead of simple plowing, many areas required crews to break apart and haul away chunks of ice.

Despite hazardous travel conditions, Rockbridge County Fire Chief Nathan Ramsey said the storm did not lead to a spike in emergencies. Call volumes remained mostly routine, which he attributed in part to cautious driving and ongoing road clearing.

Across the county, the Virginia Department of Transportation continued round-the-clock operations well after the storm passed.

According to the agency, crews worked 12-hour shifts and used heavy equipment to break apart thick ice on secondary and subdivision roads where snow had bonded tightly to the pavement. Sand was also applied in many areas to improve traction.

VDOT spokesman Brian Baer said local crews operated 24 hours a day on 12hours shifts through Saturday, at which point they shifted to regular schedules. With another round of precipitation expected Tuesday night, crews planned to resume 24/7 operations then.

Virginia’s interstates and primary routes are largely clear, Baer said, though some lesser-traveled roads have packed snow and ice.

“The crews have a lot to do,” he said, “but they’re doing great out there.” -In Lexington, Public Works Director Patrick Madigan said the city mounted an “allhands- on-deck” response, prioritizing primary routes and the central business district before moving into secondary streets and residential neighborhoods. Solid waste collection has returned to its regular schedule, and crews continue treating lingering icy spots and responding to problem areas as they are reported, he said.

Buena Vista’s public works director could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but crews in the city were seen continuing to clear streets this week. On Monday, sections of Magnolia Avenue near downtown were closed so crews could remove the remaining piles of ice. -At the Virginia Military Institute, maintenance crews began 24-hour operations that first Friday night, working 12-hour shifts through Tuesday morning to keep roads and walkways open for emergency vehicles and cadets traveling on foot.

Maj. Eric Schwartz, deputy director of facilities management, said the remaining accumulation resembled what the Virginia Department of Transportation has dubbed “snowcrete” — ice that bonds tightly to pavement.

“The ice gets into the pores of the surface and then you can’t move it,” Schwartz said. “It’s like trying to break up concrete.”

Some employees stayed on Post for days to maintain operations, and cleanup continues even as temperatures rise.

At Washington and Lee University, facilities crews followed an established inclement weather plan, staging materials and pretreating surfaces ahead of storms. According to a webpage shared with The News-Gazette, about 110 essential employees assist with snow and ice response, using trucks, tractors and snowblowers to clear priority routes between housing and dining facilities. Officials also reported heavy salt use this winter and said regional shortages required coordination with the city of Lexington to replenish supplies.

-All three local school divisions experienced closures and delays last week as icy sidewalks, parking lots and secondary roads complicated travel.

Buena Vista City Public Schools were closed all last week, finally opening Tuesday with a two-hour delay. According to Superintendent Healther Ault, the division plans to recommend converting Feb. 12 and 13 into full instructional days and changing March 13 from an early release to a full day to meet the state’s required instructional hours. The topic will be discussed at the upcoming School Board meeting.

Lexington City Schools reopened on Wednesday, and continued on delayed schedules after sidewalks were cleared. Shuttle buses were suspended one day due to narrow, icy streets, and families were discouraged from walking until conditions improved.

Lexington Superintendent Rebecca Walters said in an email that “At this time, we do not anticipate making any calendar adjustments; however, this depends on additional inclement weather impacting school operations as we move through the winter season.”

Rockbridge County Public Schools resumed normal operations Monday. Superintendent Phillip Thompson said buses ran regular routes, though some shaded and rural back roads remained slick. “We did have one isolated area where drivers exercised extra caution due to a few lingering slick spots,” Thompson said, “but nothing that prevented us from operating.”

The division has used eight inclement weather days so far this year and is considering possible adjustments if additional storms occur, but no decisions have been made yet. -For some residents, the storm created more than an inconvenience.

The Valley Program for Aging Services, which operates Meals on Wheels in the region, reduced deliveries to one drop-off for the week during the worst conditions but continued serving older adults within city limits.

The VPAS programs operations manager for the Rockbridge area, Laynee Knick said cleared streets allowed volunteers to reach clients safely, even in freezing temperatures.

“Our volunteers were up for the challenge of delivering in the cold,” she said. “We even had clients calling us asking not to try to deliver because they were worried about the safety of our volunteers and staff.”

The organization typically delivers close to 100 meals three times a week, she said, and staff worked to ensure seniors had enough food during the extended freeze. Knick expressed gratitude to city workers for working hard to clear the streets. -For local farmers, the storm translated into longer days, higher feed costs and constant monitoring of animals and equipment.

Logan Grant, who raises livestock and also contracts with VDOT for snow removal, said feeding cattle required significantly more hay and feed as frozen ground limited access to pastures.

“We have gone through so much hay and feed,” he said.

Built-up ice also altered the terrain of his fields. In some areas, the hardened surface effectively raised the ground level, allowing cattle to step over barriers that normally keep them contained. Several sheep wandered onto frozen creek beds that later gave way. One ewe died after walking onto the frozen surface of a water tank.

Grant said the same ice that complicated farm work also made road clearing unusually difficult.

“I’ve never seen ice fold up a plow like that,” he said, describing how hardened layers bent the spring-loaded mechanisms on plow blades.

Chris Blalock, retired Rockbridge County sheriff who raises cattle and sheep and operates a commercial egg-laying facility with about 40,000 hens, said the storm created a different kind of pressure: keeping daily operations running without interruption.

Because the hens are housed indoors, Blalock said his biggest early concern wasn’t ice but the weight of the heavy, wet snow. Chicken house collapses were reported farther north in Augusta County, Rockingham County and West Virginia.

“That was another worry you didn’t expect,” he said, adding that thankfully, his roofs stayed intact.

Once the freeze set in, routine chores simply took longer. Cattle required more forage in the cold, water sources had to be checked constantly to keep them from freezing and farm lanes had to be cleared so tractor-trailers could deliver feed and pick up eggs.

“I know farmers that had to bust ice off creeks and rivers pretty often so cattle could drink,” he said.

The packed snow itself proved stubborn to move.

“It just takes twice as long to get your normal job done in this kind of weather,” Blalock said. “Once it set up, it was just so hard — just about like concrete.”

For many residents, the storm’s biggest challenge wasn’t snowfall totals but how long the ice lingered. “Really the most unusual thing about this weather and ice has been the duration of it,” Grant said. Instead of melting within a day or two, it simply stayed — keeping much of Rockbridge County waiting for a thaw.

But by Monday afternoon, daytime temperatures climbed above freezing, accelerating the melt and improving travel conditions, which continued Tuesday. Forecasters expect warmer weather in the coming days, with next week possible rising into the 50s.