Virginia rep asks Youngkin how he will prevent I-95 snowstorm gridlock repeat

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) despatched a letter to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) on Monday asking what steps he’s taking to keep away from future site visitors gridlocks after a snowstorm in January left vacationers stranded for hours on I-95.

The snowstorm occurred days earlier than Youngkin took workplace, however Spanberger urged the governor to implement suggestions from a newly launched watchdog report that discovered most of the points may have been averted if state officers had carried out strategies from the Virginia Division of Transportation (VDOT) following the same incident in late 2018.

“It’s important that we by no means once more see a repeat of the circumstances that clogged a vital transportation artery, left Virginians — younger and previous — stranded with out meals and drugs of their autos for greater than 24 hours and demonstrated a vulnerability to our Commonwealth’s and nation’s safety,” Spanberger wrote within the letter. 

“Stopping a repeat of those horrible circumstances requires intense oversight by your administration,” she mentioned, whereas noting the incident occurred earlier than Youngkin’s administration started.

The state’s Workplace of the Inspector Basic launched an audit earlier this month vital of how state businesses responded to the January snowstorm, which left Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and a whole lot of different vacationers stranded in a single day on I-95 south of Washington.

The audit adopted a state-commissioned report launched in April that indicated state businesses collectively “misplaced situational consciousness” whereas not inserting blame on any single official or company.

The inspector common’s audit discovered that state officers didn’t apply classes realized from the same snow occasion in December 2018 that triggered points on I-81 in Southwest Virginia, resulting in an after-action report by VDOT with suggestions.

The audit additionally criticized the state for not having a hazard-specific plan for snowfall and never successfully speaking to the general public. 

The inspector common’s workplace advisable state officers apply classes realized, higher plan for snow-specific occasions and supply correct data to the general public.

Within the letter, Spanberger requested Youngkin what steps his administration is taking to make sure all of the audit’s suggestions are carried out. 

“I’m deeply involved by the newly-released IG audit, which takes a really vital view of the Commonwealth’s stage of preparation upfront of that early January storm, our present stage of preparedness had been we to face related circumstances within the coming winter months and our state businesses’ historical past of not implementing fulsome course of enhancements,” Spanberger wrote.

The congresswoman requested Youngkin why modifications weren’t made after the 2018 after-action report and what accountability measures will probably be put in place to make sure future classes are carried out in a well timed trend. 

“The Northam administration did not adequately put together and plan for the I-95 snow debacle,” mentioned Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter. 

She mentioned Youngkin appreciated the inspector common’s audit and has labored to mitigate dangers from snow occasions since taking workplace in January days after the I-95 incident.

“Underneath the governor’s management, snow occasions following his inauguration had been managed to the usual of making ready for worst case situations versus underneath making ready for snow emergency occasions,” mentioned Porter.