The Virginia Department of Transportation's resources are in place for when winter arrives in northern Virginia.

Almost $84.9 million is set aside for snow removal in northern Virginia this winter, and the agency's state and contracted fleet is ready with more than 4,500 pieces of equipment. More than 120,000 tons of salt, 250,000 gallons of brine, and 25,000 tons of sand are on hand and will be restocked regularly through the season.

Those resources will be used to plow and treat 13,585 lane miles across Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William and Arlington counties (Arlington maintains its own secondary roads). More than 11,000 of those lane miles are secondary and subdivision streets.

“It is never too early to prepare,” said Lauren Mollerup, VDOT's maintenance engineer of northern Virginia, at the annual snow briefing. “Throughout the year, we plan for our winter equipment, materials, and staffing, and today is a good reminder for everyone at home to prepare too — to check vehicles and emergency kits, to consider alternate commute and telework plans, and to become familiar with our online resources.”

Resource Reminders

Residents are asked to bookmark and keep virginiadot.org/novaemergency on hand for news releases, important messages, frequently asked questions and links to many other resources, including:

• @vadotnova on Twitter

• 511virginia.org for road conditions

• vdotplows.org for neighborhood status and locations of plows

• my.vdot.virginia.gov or 800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623) to report issues