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Fairfax County supervisors are assembling a list of successes and failures from the response to the crippling snow and ice storm that struck in late January, hoping to get answers before deciding whether to confront state transportation officials in a public meeting.

The questions and comments will be sent to the Virginia Department of Transportation and other agencies involved in clearing snow, Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith said at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 3. Smith chaired the meeting in the absence of Chairman Jeff McKay.

The approach could prevent a repeat of last year’s heated forum, when supervisors and VDOT officials traded blame over the response to a 2025 winter storm. This time, Smith said, the board wants to gather questions and receive initial answers before deciding whether another meeting is necessary.

Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity raised the issue after observing inconsistent plowing across the county. He said insufficient follow-up left lanes narrowed or blocked, turn lanes uncleared and numerous cul-de-sacs untouched, trapping some residents in their neighborhoods.

Herrity also criticized the county’s work clearing its own facilities. Still, he and other supervisors said the response to the Jan. 25 storm was better than the previous January, when icy neighborhood roads stranded many residents for days.

Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman called VDOT’s latest performance “markedly better” than in 2025 but “not good enough.” Complaints from McLean neighborhoods had helped fuel his frustration during the board’s contentious meeting with VDOT officials last April.

Supervisors and their staffs will send their written feedback to Bierman, who chairs the board’s transportation committee. He will work with County Executive Bryan Hill to route the questions to the appropriate state and county agencies. Fairfax County Public Schools will also participate in the review.

Hill acknowledged that the county does not get every part of snow removal right, but said county employees made government facilities accessible and operational sooner than most neighboring jurisdictions.

Herrity praised police officers, firefighters and other county workers for extraordinary efforts during a storm that dropped sleet over several inches of snow. The frozen mixture hardened into dense “snowcrete,” requiring different tactics than a typical Washington-area snowfall.

Supervisors weigh the cost of local control

VDOT is responsible for most roadway snow removal in Fairfax County, as it is in most Virginia counties. Bierman said he will seek a county analysis of what it would cost Fairfax to take over those operations from the state.

He acknowledged that the price would likely be exceptionally high. Even so, the estimate could help officials evaluate local control or explain to residents why such a shift is not feasible.

VDOT maintains more than 14,000 lane-miles in Fairfax County. Under its protocol, plowing begins after two inches of snow have fallen, with interstates and primary roads cleared before crews move to secondary and neighborhood streets.

Private roads are a separate matter. Streets in townhouse, condominium and business developments that lack state route numbers must generally be cleared by property managers or homeowners associations.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn also asked county staff to examine sidewalk-clearing problems. That responsibility largely falls on property owners.

In the Town of Vienna, which manages its own snow removal, crews were still chipping ice from sidewalks on Feb. 3. Work focused on frequently traveled pedestrian routes and large accumulations near schools along Park and Nutley streets, with temporary lane closures expected. Clearing also remained underway in the Town of Herndon and Fairfax City.

Volunteer shoveling program could arrive next winter

Supervisors also directed county staff to design a program connecting volunteer snow shovelers with seniors, homebound residents and people with disabilities.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said school groups, Scout organizations and others are willing to provide that help. McKay’s resolution said the recent storm, which paralyzed the region, demonstrated how residents could better serve vulnerable neighbors during snow emergencies.

The resolution passed without opposition and instructed Hill to return with a proposal within four months. Staff will examine legal concerns, study programs in other jurisdictions and consider involving Volunteer Fairfax.

A report in May or June would come too late to launch the initiative this winter. However, the program could be ready when the threat of snow returns in December.

“It may not happen right away, but it’s important to start,” Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez said.