Virginia goes over budget on highway snow removal

Highway officials say the state is going to exceed the $157 million snow removal budget by more than $100 million. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, money will have to be moved around in its overall maintenance budget to cover costs brought on by the unexpected snow and ice this winter. Transportation Secretary Aubrey Lane claims VDOT will still have adequate resources to guarantee highways are safe and well maintained. The departments overall maintenance budget is $1.8 billion and covers expenses such as pothole repairs and repaving. Some repaving projects are being reconsidered by officials to limit the usage of outside contractors, restricting overtime, and postponing new equipment purchases.