|
Dear Friend,
We’re still digging out days after the snowfall, and with
temperatures expected to stay below freezing for at least another week
and the Snow Emergency continuing through at least 9:30 a.m. tomorrow,
many snow and ice impacts will continue.
As road conditions have improved and school campuses cleared, the
Mayor announced this evening that DC Public Schools will be
open tomorrow, Thursday, with a two-hour delayed start.
I'll say at the outset that I'm frustrated by the Executive's
response to the storm and lack of clear, centralized communication,
and I know you are, too. Our office phones have been ringing off the
hook, and my inbox is filled with people frustrated and asking
questions. I contacted agency leaders several days ago, letting them
know I could feel the frustration building and they needed to respond
more clearly. I've tried to share updates on social media to keep
people up to date (like the latest today and issues with bus stops and trash pickup), and I wanted to share a larger
email with the latest.
I also appreciate your patience and that of our workers on city
crews taking long-hour shifts, and I’m grateful to neighbors who've
been flagging problem areas for us to amplify to DPW. Please keep
doing that and submitting them as 311 requests, as well. That helps
inform DPW's quality assurance process, as those requests are used by
the agency to create a map of areas to target.
So here's a larger update on what I’m seeing and the latest from
the Mayor and DPW, as of mid-afternoon:
 Street Plowing and Neighborhood
Roads
I’ve been in frequent contact with DPW leadership about the lack of
plowing on many residential streets. A major issue has been that many
smaller “light” plows (think pick-up truck plows) were damaged early
on by heavy ice, and large plows often can’t safely fit on narrow
neighborhood streets or operate without risking damage to parked cars.
DPW has brought in contractors, with on-site supervisors overseeing
their work, and I'm starting to see more neighborhood streets plowed,
in addition to emergency routes and major corridors.
DC now has roughly 280 plows in operation, and there are about 100+
pieces of heavy construction equipment working citywide 24/7 as DPW
ramps up snow removal. This removal work is starting in the downtown
core and will move outward, so to set expectations, it will likely
still take some time for these crews to reach many residential
neighborhoods. All that snow is currently being taken to RFK parking
lots, and the city is sourcing additional sites, as well. This is
critical work, because plows just push snow back on cars, and
neighbors dig out those cars - a never-ending cycle until it
melts.
My office is
continuing to compile lists of problem blocks and prioritize these for
DPW. Please keep letting us know what you’re seeing. To submit a
service request for snow and ice removal on a public street, bridge,
or overpass, call 311.
If you've seen plows go by with blades up, those vehicles may be
applying salt rather than actively plowing, especially if they're the
light plows. Heavy construction equipment is now working in many areas
that would normally only see light plows.
The Department of General Services – which maintains DC government
properties – has also been working to clear around every public
school, and they've aimed to have all school properties cleared by the
end of today. OSSE has been clearing school buses, starting engines,
and conducting dry runs.
Additionally, National Capital Parks - East of the National Park
Service says it has been working on park properties throughout the
District this week, but will focus on its Capitol Hill parks Thursday,
including Folger, Lincoln, Marion, Stanton, and Seward Square.
Bus Stops and Pedestrian Access
Along many corridors, plows have pushed 2 to 3 feet of snow and ice
along the edge of streets, forcing riders to stand in the street to
board buses, which is incredibly dangerous. I’ve reached out directly
to DDOT, WMATA, and DPW to push for better coordination so bus stops
get cleared quickly by DDOT. DDOT has added three additional
contractors specifically to expedite bus stop clearing, but with
thousands of bus stops, that's not going to move fast. I want to see
more action here if we're truly trying to get our city back open.
Getting both bus stops and crosswalks accessible again is critical
for kids getting to school, essential workers getting to their jobs,
and everyone who relies on transit.
Public Transit
Metrobus continues to expand the number of routes it's running, but
we still have many in Ward 6 on snow detours. You can keep up to date
with the status of both bus and rail here.
I also suggest signing up for MetroAlerts (for post-storm and everyday use).
Trash and Recycling Collection
Trash and recycling service is likely to be heavily disrupted
through at least the end of this week. Ice-packed alleys are
preventing trash trucks from safely getting in and out. If you have
alley collection, there's no way to sugarcoat this; you should expect
continued missed or delayed pickup. You can keep up with the status here.
I’m pushing DPW to explore alternative approaches where possible —
like crews walking alleys, pulling cans to alley edges, or temporarily
shifting some service to curbside — but realistically, regular
schedules will not return until alleys are more passable. The city is
expected to share more guidance soon on potential alley trash
workarounds.
|
