(Washington, DC) – Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, along with Department of Public Works Director William O. Howland, Jr. and District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Gabe Klein, announced this morning that the snow emergency was lifted 9:30 am and that the DC snow team will continue full deployment until 8 pm with more than 200 pieces of equipment. Major corridors have been cleared and plows continue to move through residential neighborhoods trying to get as much of the curb lane as possible.
“We’re seeing bare pavement on most of the major streets and so the focus now is to get the neighborhood streets just as clear,” said Mayor Fenty. “Since many of our residential streets are particularly narrow, we need residents to park their vehicles as close to the curb as possible to make sure our trucks can get in there and do the job.”
DPW officials remind residents to clear their sidewalks and nearby catch basins—placing snow into the tree box area or space between the curb and the sidewalk—and to provide assistance to neighbors who may be unable to do so.
“Many sidewalks are still impassible, forcing pedestrians to walk in the street,” said Director Howland. “This is already a dangerous situation, made even more hazardous with our large plows out there on the road. We really need pedestrians out of the street to allow the plows to do their jobs without posing a safety risk.”
Director Howland added that regular trash and recycling collection services will resume Monday, December 21, while leaf collection remains suspended to allow crews to finish clearing snow in residential neighborhoods. He said, “It may be difficult to collect trash and recycling from some alleys and the crews will use caution as their guide. Residents are asked to place trash and recycling in their normal collection location and to be patient.
Snow crews will continue to work through the night as temperatures are expected to drop into the low 20s.
“The sun has and will continue to help to melt some of the snow during the day but we’re expecting a hard freeze tonight,” said DDOT Director Gabe Klein. “Everything that melts today is expected to refreeze tonight so we urge citizens to take public transportation as much as possible. All metro trains and most bus lines are back in operation. If you must drive, please do so with extreme caution tonight.
Citizens are reminded that if they have a request or concern to call 311.
Media Contacts
- Mafara Hobson
- (202) 744-4549