Widespread closures
Much of the Washington metro region is shut down Monday. Closures include:
¥ Federal government agencies
¥ Fairfax County schools
¥ Arlington County schools
¥ Alexandria City schools
¥ Prince William County schools
¥ District schools’ administrative offices remain open (schools out for winter break)
¥ Loudoun County schools, closed Monday and Tuesday
¥ Montgomery County schools
¥ Prince George’s County schools
¥ Alexandria City and Arlington trash and recycling service
The region’s neighborhood streets, slick and icy after refreezing overnight, threaten to bedevil rush-hour commuters Monday. “The key is going to be whether you can get out of your subdivision,” said Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Joan Morris.
Local roads were a lower priority as road crews focused on clearing major highways over the weekend. In Virginia, for example, officials predict the 7,000 miles of subdivision streets in the Washington suburbs won’t be fully cleared until as late as Wednesday night.
The slush slowly thawing on roads during the day Sunday was expected to freeze over the evening, presenting a new challenge for road crews. If commuters can reach them, the Capital Beltway and other interstates were in “good shape” as of Sunday afternoon, officials in Maryland and Virginia said.
The Maryland State Highway Administration had begun to shift on Sunday from a plowing to a salting operation, in anticipation of the refreeze, said Lora Rakowski, spokeswoman for the agency.
“Our goal is to have, certainly, everything in as good a shape as possible for Monday morning’s rush hour,” she said.
