Crews will pre-treat the Washington & Old Dominion Trail for the first time this winter when accumulating snow or ice is in the weather forecast.
Officials behind the 45-mile paved trail between Shirlington and Purcellville announced the change in a series of tweets last week.
When snow or ice is in the forecast, crews will pre-treat the trail “in Arlington heading west.” The change comes after discussions with staff from Arlington’s Department of Parks and Recreation, who have been pre-treating trails for at least the past few years.
The Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority, which is responsible for the trail, purchased a tanker trailer to do the pre-treating, which will likely involve putting salt down hours before snow or ice is due to hit. NOVA Parks will continue to use its snow blowers to clear the paths.
“The pre-treatment working in tandem with our snow blowers should help reduce trail down time so to speak with snow & ice on the trail,” the trail’s Twitter account tweeted.
The new regime may be needed later this week. The Capital Weather Gang reports that there will be a “decisive flip to cold,” which may bring snow flurries.
Hi Chris, thank you for your interest in the W&OD. Starting this winter we'll be pre-treating the trail in Arlington heading westward when snow/ice is in the forecast. We've talked with Arlington about snow removal best practices and Arlington County staff have pre-treated……
— The W&OD Trail (@WODTrail) December 1, 2017
….their trail system in winter for some time. After researching suitable equipment and allocating the necessary funds we've purchased a tanker trailer that can hopefully do the job for us. The pre-treatment working in tandem with our snow blowers should help reduce trail……
— The W&OD Trail (@WODTrail) December 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/WODTrail/status/936634069739335681
Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley