Richmond will take its first tentative steps back to normalcy on Wednesday, with city and county offices opening on a limited basis, even as schools remain out across the region.

Officials said below-freezing temperatures are making it difficult to clear the snow and ice in traditional ways, as plows are largely ineffective against the giant sheets of ice in most residential neighborhoods, and salt stops working when temperatures drop below 20 degrees, as they have each night. 

In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Department of Public Works Director Bobby Vincent said most of Richmond’s main roads are in “B+” or “A” condition. The less traveled neighborhood streets, he said, are a different story. 

“They’re pretty much frozen over,” Vincent said. 

Richmond’s streets could be back to normal by Friday, Vincent said, but by that time the city might have to start prepping for more snow in the forecast for this weekend. 

He said the city is deploying a sand-and-salt mixture to help soften roads when the sun is out. 

“The plows are not effective with the ice, but the plows are effective with the slush,” Vincent said. 

In Henrico, government buildings will reopen and trash pickup will resume on a two-hour delay. Richmond will do the same, but with government buildings opening at noon. 

All localities, Chesterfield included, have canceled school for the day. 

“While progress is being made to clear areas, extremely icy conditions across Henrico County and frigid temperatures mean we cannot open schools on Wednesday,” Henrico said in a statement. 

The storm’s toll

Early notification allowed residents to prepare for an extended period at home. 

Virginia State Police said there were 108 car crashes in the area — four with injuries reported, but no fatalities — during the storm. 

The lone fatality reported as of Tuesday evening was a 4-year-old boy who fell into an icy lake in Henrico. He was rescued, but was unconscious and later died at a hospital. 

Plowing paths

Wednesday could be the biggest test yet of how the area’s infrastructure handles the extended snow, as many workplaces and stores reopen even as neighborhood roads show no signs of thawing. 

While the storm wasn’t as bad on the front end as it could have been, its lingering after-effects have some residents going stir-crazy. 

Beyond that, though, conditions remain dicey. 

With some sunlight hitting and more chemicals being applied, Vincent said, roads should get clearer over the next few days. The city has about 75 trucks working on the roads, according to DPW. 

“They should be able to start pushing on many of our neighborhood and residential streets,” Vincent said. 

Limited bus service resumes

After being shut down entirely on Sunday, the Greater Richmond Transit Company had planned to resume service on Monday, before changing that decision after drivers evaluated road conditions. 

GRTC operated Tuesday with limited routes and drivers. On Wednesday, service began at 7 a.m. 

So far, road conditions have been mixed, with ice lingering on most streets, said spokesperson Ashley Potter. The company’s road supervisors and operations team have been monitoring conditions, and service has been limited and adjusted based on those conditions. 

That includes buses having to take “snow routes” — an alternative route of the regular paths — to avoid hazardous streets that have historically proven to be difficult to navigate in inclement weather. That means that drivers may not reach all of the stops in the regular route. The company also notes that additional detours may take place depending on conditions. 

More snow soon?

While some forecasts are showing snow over the weekend, it’s still too early to make definitive predictions, according to forecasters. 

Early projections show the storm developing off the Eastern Shore. The European forecasting model, which has been more accurate so far this winter, shows the storm stalling short of the Richmond area while dumping precipitation on Tidewater. 

Whether snow arrives or not, temperatures will remain low, which will create an extended need for caution. 

Vincent, the DPW director, encouraged residents to drive cautiously no matter what type of road they’re on. 

“We want people to be careful,” he said. “Just take your time and drive slow.” 

This story originally appeared on TheRichmonder.org. 

Below-freezing temperatures turn water from a drainage pipe at a shopping center on Chamberlayne Avenue to ice Wednesday following the winter storm.  (photo by Julianne Tripp Hillian/Richmond Free Press)