‘We just want them to get home’: VDOT manager talks importance of road maintenance, work zone safety

SHENANDOAH COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - When VDOT employees get through the summer paving season or the winter snow season, they continue to do preventive maintenance to help save taxpayer dollars and prevent road damage.

One of those projects — led by Eric Lewis, a transportation operations manager for VDOT — helps prevent ponding on backgrounds without a dedicated storm drain system. In bigger cities, roads are connected to a stormwater system that brings it through a series of pipes to help connect it to a natural water source.

Rural areas sometimes do not have access to the same level of infrastructure. Drainage pipes and culverts help accomplish the same job, but they are susceptible to erosion and weather damage.

When working on this kind of road maintenance, VDOT employees will remove the dirt and sediment build-up on the road’s shoulders along with any mud caked over the culverts. Lewis said these kinds of restorations help prevent any sort of dangerous road conditions associated with pooling or ponding water.

“Without doing this kind of maintenance, the roadway water and stuff would not be able to get to the ditches and coffers that is needed,” Lewis said. “It just can create more dangerous situations if we are not out here on top of trying to take care of these issues.”

In Lewis’ eyes, he recognizes a lot of the work VDOT employees do isn’t glamorous. However, he said, ensuring people get home or any other destination is exactly why he does what he does, even if it can sometime feel like a thankless job.

“We don’t want any accidents. We don’t want anyone injured,” Lewis said. “We just want to get them from one end to the other.”

In addition to believing in the safety of roadways, Lewis said preventative maintenance like these projects can help save taxpayer money down the line. Removing the mud and debris helps extend the life of the roadways and the culvers, and it helps avoid the unnecessary cost of an emergency repair, he said.

“With ponding of water and all, when you get into the winter months, it will create potholes in the hard surface, and then that goes on to another thing,” Lewis explained. “Now we went from having one situation to repair to now having two situations on the same route.”

Lewis said people should always be paying attention when they are on the road, but they should be extra vigilant when driving through a work zone. He said it isn’t meant to be an inconvenience — rather, it’s to help protect both the drivers and work site employees.