The record-shattering storms that hit the Charlottesville region this winter have pushed state and local snow removal budgets deep into the red.
The Virginia Department of Transportation had budgeted $79.7 million to pay for snow removal over the winter. Initial cost estimates show that VDOT has spent more than $100 million so far.
“We certainly are already over our snow removal budget,” Lou Hatter, VDOT’s Culpeper District spokesman, said Thursday. “But we’re not going to stop pushing snow because we’re over budget.”
The agency, he said, plans to make up for shortfalls by cutting back on non-safety related maintenance projects, such as grass mowing in the spring.
In the meantime, Hatter said, VDOT is continuing to repair damage from the snow and ice storms. Crews are working to fix the vast quantity of new potholes, remove the hundreds of fallen trees alongside roadways and repair many of the unpaved roads that have been rendered impassable.
“Even though the snow has taken a break for the time being, we’re still hard at work,” Hatter said.
Charlottesville, which is responsible for clearing its roads, has similarly burned through its snow removal budget.
The city budgeted $138,000 for this season’s snow removal, not including overtime and emergency supplies costs. So far, Charlottesville has spent upwards of $1 million, city spokesman Ric Barrick said.
Charlottesville’s City Council, he said, will take up the question of how to pay for the additional expenditures in the spring.
Like VDOT, Charlottesville is not delaying repairs made necessary by the wintry weather. On Friday, the city worked to re-pave the Belmont Bridge because of the numerous potholes created by the storms.
In Albemarle County, VDOT handles the snow plowing, but the county’s tab ran up nevertheless.
The county’s police, parks and recreation, social services and general services incurred a total $116,300 cost. The figure includes overtime, damaged vehicle repairs, purchase of ice melt and other supplies and the cost of clearing county parking lots and ensuring access to public buildings. The cost to Albemarle’s fire and rescue department has not yet been tallied.
“It’s a big huge expenditure that we weren’t expecting,” Lee Catlin, Albemarle’s spokeswoman, said.
At the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, officials budgeted $35,000 for snow removal this winter, but have so far spent $158,000.
“We have busted our budget,” said Barbara Hutchinson, the airport’s executive director.
Each of the agencies, including the airport, is eligible to receive partial reimbursement of its snow costs from the federal government. How much each receives, if anything, remains to be seen in the weeks and months ahead.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement