News

Snow and ice plague Arlington sidewalks three days after storm

By Dan Egitto
1/9

Three days after the last snowflakes fell on Arlington, significant stretches of walkways around the county remain encased in ice.

Along sidewalks and crosswalks in front of businesses, single-family homes, townhouse developments and at least one county park, ARLnow braved the ice and snow yesterday and today (Thursday) to document numerous failures to comply with the county’s snow removal ordinance.

While residents and businesses had until 11 a.m. yesterday to clear the roughly 7 to 9 inches of snow that fell in various parts of the county, portions of major thoroughfares around Arlington remain hazardous to pedestrians.


Partly to blame for the slippery conditions — which have generated over 500 complaints on the county’s snow activity map as of this afternoon — is this week’s unusually cold weather, said Katie O’Brien, a spokesperson for the Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services.

“Multiple days of below freezing temperatures has made this event unique for recent years,” she told ARLnow. “Usually, Mother Nature assists in helping melt snow and ice from streets and sidewalks but we do not anticipate temperatures above freezing until Saturday.”

O’Brien added that “all streets and County-owned sidewalks are believed passable” at this point. However, “refreezing in the mornings is always a concern and we encourage everyone to use caution when driving, walking or biking around the County.”

Bike lanes can be particularly hazardous as snow and ice on both the street and the sidewalk melts and refreezes overnight, she noted.

What’s the county doing about it? When asked about a significant amount of snow observed yesterday on a sidewalk at Lacey Woods Park along Washington Blvd, Arlington’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation said “staff works diligently to remove snow from County-maintained property as soon as possible.”

“During snow events with more than 6 in. of snow, we aim to address sidewalks within 48 hrs. of when snowfall stops,” a spokesperson wrote. “This sidewalk was addressed accordingly. With the amount of snow and continued freezing temperatures, removal of snow from sidewalks is no easy task and staff continue to work to safely get the sidewalks cleared.”

Staff pretreat county properties in advance of a snowstorm and start removing snow from high-priority locations like parking lots, trails and some sidewalks when it begins to fall.

“These sites are visited several times during and after a storm to ensure snow removal,” the parks department said. ” Staff continues to address the priority list in tiers, with all identified locations addressed within a few days of the event.”

Businesses and homes, meanwhile, present a different challenge.

Property owners can face a $50 to $100 fine for failing to clear sidewalks of snow and ice. However, the county has not issued any of these citations following this week’s snowstorm, according to the Dept. of Community Planning, Housing and Development.

This is because “the main goal of the ordinance is to identify spots that may pose a public safety hazard and then encourage compliance without the need for enforcement,” a spokesperson said.

“When a report is received, an inspector visits the property to investigate the issue, and then works with the property owner to correct it,” they said. “This helps to ensure safe access for pedestrians and to make all transportation modes available as soon as possible after a snow storm.”

While the county and property owners work to improve conditions, complaints and warnings have proliferated.

One reader contacted ARLnow with concerns about her children walking to school today following snow days on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

“School is about to open up and all the major sidewalks to school are a sheet of ice,” Geva Lester said, noting especially rough conditions on 23rd Street S. and S. Arlington Ridge Road.

In an informal ARLnow poll, about 47% of voters said Arlington Public Schools made the right call with restarting school today with a two-hour delay. Dissenting votes were split roughly even between saying school should have started on time, and school should have remained closed.

About the Author

  • Dan Egitto is an editor and reporter at ARLnow. Originally from Central Florida, he graduated from Duke University and previously reported at the Palatka Daily News in Florida and the Vallejo Times-Herald in California. Dan joined ARLnow in January 2024.