Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Letter to President Obama points out widespread damage in Fairfax County.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Virginia’s two U.S. senators and seven of its congressmen sent a letter to President Obama Tuesday supporting Gov. Bob McDonnell’s request for a major disaster declaration for damage caused by Tropical Storm Lee in Fairfax and Prince William Counties. The letter, initiated by Congressman Gerry Connolly, who represents much of Fairfax and Prince William, was signed by Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner and Congressman Connolly, Jim Moran, Frank Wolf, Rob Wittman, Bobby Scott, Bob Goodlatte, and Morgan Griffith. The storm on Sept. 8 caused extensive damage in the two counties. In Reston, a commuter parking lot was flooded and several bodies of water overflowed, causing damage at Lake Fairfax Park and a washed-out Hunter Mill Road bridge. …
Thursday, September 29, 2011
VDOT making progress on storm damage repairs.
The Virginia Department of Transportation says repairs are underway on the Hunter Mill Road bridge in Reston that was damaged in the Sept. 8 deluge from Tropical Storm Lee. The bridge remains closed between Crowell Road and Chamberlain Drive, but VDOT is making repairs to the bridge approach and shoulder damage, as well as washed-out pavement. Barring inclement weather, Hunter Mill Road should reopen by Oct. 7, a VDOT spokesman says. Also, in Reston VDOT crews placed a temporary steel plate over the sinkhole on Sunrise Valley Drive near Glade on Sept. 16. Permanent repairs and pipe replacement will be complete by the end of October, VDOT says. “Despite heavy rain for the past several days our crews and contractors are making steady …
Sunday, September 25, 2011
How Reston Association facilities fared through earthquake, rain and wind.
Reston has been hit by an earthquake, a hurricane and tropical storm in the last month. At Thursday's Reston Association meeting, RA Parks and Recreation Director Larry Butler gave an overview of what kind of damage was left behind. The earthquake that hit Virginia in late August was a 5.8 on the Richter scale, but left no damage to RA property, Butler said. Similarly, when Hurricane Irene rolled through less than a week later, there was little more than a few tree limbs blown down. Tropical Storm Lee on Sept. 8 had a lot more impact. Butler pointed out that rain gauges at various Reston spots showed between 6.5 and 7 inches of rain in a few hours - and at one point .82 of an inch in 15 minutes. That, combined with the four inches of rain …
Monday, September 19, 2011
Eastbound Sunrise Valley Drive and Hunter Mill bridge remain closed.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is working on fixing the 100 roads in Northern Virginia that were damaged by Tropical Storm Lee on Sept. 8. Three bridges and four roads in Northern Virginia remain closed and will need extensive repairs. The total estimated damage to roads and bridges in northern Virginia is likely more than $10 million. “Work is either already under way or will begin shortly on roads requiring reconstruction,” VDOT Northern Virginia District Administrator Garrett Moore said in a statement. “We expect most of these roads should reopen within eight weeks." Projects in Reston include: * The sinkhole on Sunrise Valley Drive. The eastbound lanes remain closed between Glade Drive and Mercator Drive. Crews placed …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Commuters can file a claim, but agency says there was no negligence.
While the Virginia Department of Transportation says commuters have the right to file a claim for last week's flooding, that does not mean VDOT is at fault. VDOT spokeswoman Joan Morris says in order for the claim to be honored, there must be a determination that VDOT was negligent. To see how to file a claim, click here. Dozens of cars were damaged when the Reston North Park and Ride lot flooded when six inches of rain fell in a few hours on Sept. 8. “We don’t want to discourage any vehicle owner from filing a claim but it’s important folks understand how the process works and that there must be negligence for the claim to be honored,” said Garrett Moore, VDOT Northern Virginia district administrator. VDOT is of the opinion that there …
Capital Weather Gang gets up close to Sunrise Valley Drive storm damage.
Nearly a week after the torrential rainfall caused flooding in Reston, the sinkhole on Sunrise Valley Drive near Glade Drive remains. The Capital Weather Gang blog gets inside the sinkhole with this up close view. Check it out here or by clicking the video above.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Contact VDOT with details of your car's damage if it was at Reston North Park and Ride.
- GOVERNMENT
- Karen Goff
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Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Was your car one of dozens damaged by the flash flood at the Reston North Park and Ride last week? If so, Fairfax Connector has some instructions for filing a claim. The are advising submitting a letter to the Virginia Department of Transportation. Your letter should include the date, time and location of the event, your daytime phone or other contact information, photos or other documentation to support your claim, and your signature. The VDOT Northern Virginia district office will process your claim and send it to Richmond for final approval. If you have any further questions, contact VDOT at 1-800-FOR-ROAD (1-800-367-7623). Mail your letter to: VDOT/FFX Maintenance 4975 Alliance Drive Fairfax, VA 22030 ATTN: Cynthia Mercer
Monday, September 12, 2011
NWS says 6+ inches in an afternoon is very rare.
Surveying the damage at your house after Thursday's torrential rain? Looking for heavy-duty caulk to keep the water out when it happens again? It might not happen again. At least in your lifetime. The National Weather Service says that the Reston gauge in recorded 6.57 inches in six hours, which is also approximately a 500-year rainfall. Thursday's storm caused flash flooding and property damage, washing out bridges, causing sinkholes and ruining dozens of cars parked in the Reston North Park and Ride lot. In general, the rain that fell in the DC-Baltimore area was a once every 10-25 year event. Ft. Belvoir received 7.03 inches of rain in three hours. The NWS says that amount of rain in that amount of time was an above a 1,000-year …
Storm washes out bridges, leaves sinkholes.
- NEWS
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Monday, September 12, 2011
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) estimates that roads and bridges in Fairfax County may have up to $10 million in damage from Thursdays storms. Torrential rains and flash flooding last week dumped more than six inches of rain in a few hours. Roads that remained closed as of Sunday night include Eastbound Sunrise Valley near Glade, where a large sinkhole has formed, and Hunter Mill Road near Crowell Road, where the one-lane bridge has been washed out. VODT is continuing to assess damage on secondary roads and the more than 200 country bridges. “Our initial assessment indicates that there could be up to $10 million in damages to bridges and roads in Fairfax County,” Garrett Moore, VDOT District Administrator for Northern …
Community mourns 12-year-old Jack Donaldson, who was swept away last week in a Vienna creek's flooded waters.
This spring wasn’t looking great for the Dodgers. The team from the Vienna Little League Majors wasn’t putting up the best record, struggling more than winning throughout a particularly difficult season. So it would have been easy – and was easy – for the group of 12-year-olds to give up, to just show up to practices and games and go through the motions. But not Jack Donaldson. “I remember that very much about him: how hard he would swing the bat, how hard he worked in practice, how hard he would go after the ball,” Dodgers Coach Bill Womack said. “I said to the boys, that’s how we should all play, all the time, all season. That’s just the kind of kid Jack was.” Womack and some of those teammates from the Dodgers took time before their …
The BSD Guy
1:50 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Eric Cantor needs to speak up on this bi-partisan SOCIALIST attempt to siphon money out of the budget without cutting costs somewhere else ... and money should NOT be awarded to the state of Virginia until we can have another squabble about it at the national level. I, for one, do not have enough shiny objects, and it is my pursuit of shiny objects that should be driving the government's decision… more ›