Fairfax County officials are exploring whether to take ownership of the area’s roads, following a week in which they waited on the Virginia Department of Transportation to clear the streets — days after snow stopped, in some cases.
Unlike neighboring Arlington County and the city of Fairfax, the county doesn’t maintain its roadways, instead relying on VDOT for everything from clearing mountains of snow to cutting grass on medians. The county’s transportation department has initiated a study to determine the practicality of assuming some or all of the roads in the 395 square miles of county land.
“I don’t think we ought to shy away from the concept of taking over the roads,” said Supervisor John Cook, R-Braddock. “If anything, last week moved me in that direction.”
Supervisors were inundated with frantic calls from stir-crazy residents unable to leave their homes but could only defer the complaints to VDOT. County officials asked parents to help clear snow in time for the reopening of county schools Tuesday.
But transportation officials said more ownership would lead to greater costs for the county, as officials are facing a $316 million budget shortfall.
“It is a huge, daunting task to take over the roads, and it would be enormously expensive,” said Supervisor Linda Smyth, D-Providence. “We need to be looking at a menu of options — not just all or nothing.”
A more restrained takeover could allow the county to handle routine maintenance, such as traffic light repair and bus stop construction, without waiting for VDOT.
Transportation officials expect results from the study by midyear, at which point a task force could be appointed to pursue the issue.
“Does it mean we would do a better job?” asked the county’s transportation director, Kathy Ichter. “Not necessarily. But people want more control of their services. The question is: Are you willing to pay more?”
County supervisors will meet with VDOT officials next month to review the department’s snow response.
