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VDOT to go over their snow budget by at least $100 million

Posted at 10:44 PM, Mar 05, 2014
and last updated 2014-03-06 10:04:05-05

Norfolk, Va. - The Virginia Department of Transportation released a statement Wednesday announcing that they will likely exceed their $157 million snow budget by more than $100 million.

That means the department will have to cut into the state's $1.8 billion maintenance budget.

"Make no mistake, this winter has put a strain on our maintenance budget," said Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne. "However, we have sufficient resources to ensure our roads are well-kept and we will continue to be good stewards of public funds. This winter has been rough, but we're committed to delivering a safe and reliable transportation system."

Officials say this won't have any impact on essential services like pothole patching or repaving. However, they are considering a number of options to help offset the extra snow cost.

The options they are considering include:

  • Extending completion dates of paving projects
  • Limiting the use of some service contracts, which would no include snow removal or pothole patching
  • Limiting overtime for employees
  • Delaying new equipment purchases

VDOT also says their $1.4 billion construction budget will not be impacted.