The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), responsible for all the snow removal from roads in Fairfax County, estimates it will remove about 500,000 tons of snow from area roads over the next few days,according to a Traffic Alert from the agency today.

On Monday, crews finishing up snow removal in Richmond and Hampton Roads, where the snowfall was not as severe as Northern Virginia, will head noerth to assist 1,900 trucks already plowing this region. The effort involves clearing 9,000 lane miles of subdivisions and side roads in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties.

Unlike with smaller snowfalls, according to VDOT, crews are also hauling snow from areas where there is simply nowhere for plows to push. Along roads such as the Beltway, concrete barriers prevent traditional plowing and large trailers are hauling snow offsite.

VDOT reminds the public in its statement that temperatures will drop into the single digits again tonight, meaning that all roads, including those that have been treated and plowed, will remain treacherous.