ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — It’s a sign spring is nearly here — not the melting snow or even buds on trees but the potholes.

7News Reporter Victoria Sanchez found out what’s being done even as the winter weather persists.

Traffic in the DMV is about to get worse. Not from cars on the road but the road itself.

“Just our district in Northern Virginia — so Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William and Arlington counties — had over 400 reports of potholes waiting to be filled. Since the beginning of the month,” said Alex Liggitt, communication manager for VDOT’s Northern Virginia district.

When the region gets heavy snow with several freeze-thaw cycles, it can lead to a big pothole season.

The problems pop up after water seeps into road cracks and then freezes. As the water freezes and expands, it forces the pavement up. When it thaws, a gap is left behind. That weak spot becomes a pothole with the weight of passing vehicles.

On Thursday morning, two men from a mobile VDOT crew on Fairfax County Parkway in Burke got out of the truck, filled the hole, and moved on to the next in about one minute.

“It’s kind of a temporary fix until we get further into the season. When things warm up, we can come back with the hot asphalt treatment,” explained Liggitt.

Virginia, Maryland, and the District make reporting potholes easy through online forms. You’ll need the address or vicinity of the problem, a picture if you have it, and a few more details. A provisional patch could come as soon as the next da,y but give crews at least three.

Report a pothole

If you drive over a pothole and it causes damage to your vehicle, you can submit a claim with the agency in charge of the roadway.

File a tort claim

DC Office of Risk Management

Pursuant to 12-309 of the DC Official Code (2001) an action may not be maintained against the District of Columbia for unliquidated damages to person or property unless, within six months after the injury or damage was sustained, the claimant, his agent, or attorney, has given notice in writing to the Mayor of the District of Columbia of the approximate time, place, cause and circumstances of the injury or damage.

VDOT Tort Claims

Individuals who believe that they have suffered damage to their property due to the negligence of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) or its employees may submit a claim to the VDOT Tort Claims Section for potential reimbursement.

Maryland State Treasurer

Anyone who has sustained bodily injury or property damage which they believe was caused by the negligence of the State of Maryland or State of Maryland personnel may file a claim under the Maryland Tort Claims Act, which is set forth in the Maryland Code, State Government Article, 12-101, et. seq. This claim must be submitted in writing to the Maryland State Treasurer’s Office (STO).

The family of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s longtime sex accuser, Virginia Giuffre, said Thursday that the disgraced royal’s arrest “lifted” their broken hearts — while dissing him as never being a real prince.

“At last,” the now-deceased accuser’s two siblings and their spouses said in a statement soon after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest in the UK.

“Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty.

Follow The Post’s live updates on ex-Prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s arrest

“On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police for their investigation, and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

“He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”

Giuffre had for years said that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, made her have sex with Andrew at least three times, starting when she was 17.

The then-prince vehemently denied her allegations, which ultimately led to him losing his royal titles and even his home.

More coverage on ex-Prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s arrest

Andrew eventually shelled out more than $12 million in Feb 2022 to settle a sexual abuse lawsuit filed in New York by Giuffre, while still claiming it was not an admission of wrongdoing.

Giuffre died by suicide last year.

RICHMOND, Va. — There could soon be statewide guidance on how to tackle issues that shape marine policy and advise on habitat, wetlands and coastal resilience policies.

Del. Alex Askew, D-Norfolk, introduced House Bill 390 to form a committee of 10 science, environmental, industry and government experts who review existing habitat policies and recommend improvements. The bill unanimously passed the House of Delegates and would establish a Habitat Policy Oversight Committee within the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, if approved by the Senate.

Virginia’s sea levels are rising more rapidly than the global rate, in part due to melting glaciers and sinking land, according to the state’s first ever comprehensive climate report released last November by George Mason University. The combination accelerates regional flooding, which threatens infrastructure, ecosystems and coastal communities.

Initially members of the new committee would serve two and four year terms that are staggered, before the permanent appointment term of four years. Members will not receive compensation for their services, only reimbursement for committee expenses.

The bill absorbed a previous bill by Del. Rob Bloxom, R-Accomack, who said the Virginia Marine Resources Commission would have a panel of advisers to help inform their votes.

The way the current system operates, the representatives responsible for establishing procedures may lack awareness of the issues shaping marine policy, Bloxom said. With a board of advisers from across the industry, the VMRC could better use Virginia’s resources “to try to make these programs actually function.”

Kelly Hengler, a citizen who opposed the bill during an Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources committee meeting on Feb. 2, said historically, the VMRC has a specific focus on fishery management. Hengler also argued that the term habitat as stated in the bill is not defined in Virginia law.

Bloxom disagreed. The VMRC controls any ocean ground that is not owned by the “upland owner,” or owner of land that is adjacent to submerged land, he said.

The VMRC manages fishing regulations, oyster farming, surveying marshes and overall habitat management, among other things, Bloxom said.

Numerous marine conservation organizations attended the meeting in support of the bill including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, American Rivers, the Virginia Conservation Network, Virginia League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Defense Fund and Wetlands Watch.

Jay Ford, Virginia policy manager at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, expressed urgency for the bill’s implementation.

“The state is facing tremendous flooding and sea level rise issues,” Ford testified. “The habitat committee could play a vital role in helping the commission work through some of the novel technologies for mitigating flood risks that are coming up as well [as] balancing natural resource considerations and mitigation when we’re putting these novel practices on the ground.”

The rates of sea level rising in the lower Chesapeake Bay and Tidewater region of Virginia are among the highest on the Atlantic Coast, according to the GMU 2025 climate report.

Brent McKenzie, director of legislative affairs for Virginia Beach, said the city is a perfect example of how the committee would be beneficial, particularly regarding the challenges and issues they have faced getting permits for flooding projects.

Sea level rise will accelerate across Virginia coasts, and impact ecosystems, shorelines, habitat conversion, groundwater salinization and erosion, according to future projections by GMU.

The bill will use an existing committee in a formal way to tackle “changing environmental conditions with new and innovative solutions,” testified Emily Steinholzer, a representative of the Environmental Defense Fund.

Some of these innovative solutions have already been adopted in other states, according to Steinholzer. The Habitat Policy Oversight Committee will keep Virginia ahead of the game “as we adapt to climate change.”

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is an organization that works to counter impacts of global warming in Maryland, Virginia and Washington. It previously said in a 2020 article that, “there has never been uniform, statewide guidance for how to respond to sea level rise.”

The VRMC would retain ultimate regulatory authority, but give due weight to the committee’s recommendations in decision making processes. The bill was referred to the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources committee, which meets on Tuesdays.

By Paige Frey/Capital News Service

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Richard T. Robertson School of Communication. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.