I-95 Shutdown: Investigation into Virginia I-95 catastrophe expected to be completed on March 15

WASHINGTON - The state commissioned investigation into the winter weather catastrophe that left drivers stranded on Interstate 95 in Virginia is expected to be completed on March 15, according to a spokesperson from Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office.

The Jan. 3 storm turned into a nightmare scenario for drivers on I-95 in Stafford County.

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While there were multiple failures now under investigation, a source who's worked for many years at Virginia's Department of Transportation says a big part of this was simple math: "not enough plows and equipment" in that part of the state handled by VDOT's Fredericksburg district.

FOX 5's Lindsay Watts did a Freedom of Information Act request for that district's mobilization plan ahead of the Jan. 3 storm. It put 292 plows and pieces equipment on the roads throughout the region, including 47 specifically designated for I-95. The plan, sent via email by Fredericksburg Resident Engineer Kyle Bates indicates six to eight inches of snow is expected.

FOX 5 also requested the plan for the storm on Jan. 15 where an email from Bates states four to five inches of snow is expected. For that storm, VDOT deployed 523 pieces of equipment, including nearly 100 pieces on I-95.

For the earlier storm, interstate wreckers, large tow trucks, were on standby only, not to be mobilized unless needed. For the latter storm, the plan had six wreckers actively patrolling the interstate.

In his final days in office, Gov. Ralph Northam took heat for his comments about the I-95 debacle including a statement that he was "getting sick and tired of people talking about what went wrong."

Before leaving, he ordered an independent review of what happened that's being conducted by CNA, a nonprofit research and analysis firm in Arlington, at a cost of nearly $80,000.

Ahead of that investigation's completion next month, FOX 5 wanted to know more about communication between VDOT, state police and the governor's office during the storm. VDOT said there were 137,000 emails and the request would cost $28,978.56.

A spokesperson for Gov. Youngkin said Sunday that the state continues to work to address issues that led to the "failure of government."

"While the after-action review is underway, VDOT has already begun implementing new storm response tactics, including re-evaluating resource deployment, reassessing appropriate advance resource staging, assigning additional on-the-ground monitors, improving communications, implementing more direct and consistent on-road overhead messaging and improving coordination with emergency response partners," a Youngkin spokesperson said.

Once finalized, the after-action report will be shared on Virginiadot.org.