HRgreen Notice | ERT and VDOT Traffic Alerts

Do you know what happens when you put leftover cooking oil and greasy food scraps down the kitchen drain or disposal? It isn’t pretty, according to Mike Martin, chief of pretreatment and pollution prevention with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD).

            “When grease goes down the drain in a liquid form, it will cool and adhere to the sides of the pipes. This reduces the pipe’s diameter and restricts the flow of water,” said Martin. “This can prevent other household waste from moving through the pipe, causing sewage backups in your home or a sanitary sewer overflow in the street.”

            No one wants to deal with that situation on a family holiday, not even plumbers. Martin says the local plumbing community refers to the day after Thanksgiving as Brown Friday—one of the busiest times for sewage backups. It can be pricey, too. If a backup occurs on a holiday, residents can expect to pay a premium. 

            “You won’t get as good a plumbing deal on Brown Friday, as you would shopping on Black Friday,” Martin said.

            So what do you do? Martin recommends taking a few minutes to dispose of fats, oils and grease (FOG) properly: 

  • For standing grease, pour it while it’s hot into an empty can, let it harden in the freezer and then toss the can in the trash.
  • For grease leftover from foods such as bacon or hamburger, allow it to cool in the pan, then use a paper towel to swipe and toss it in the trash.  
  • For dishes, scrape any leftovers into the trash or compost bin before washing.

            Restaurant owners should adhere to the same guidelines. In addition, they should maintain and inspect grease control devices, dispose of fryer grease correctly and cover their collection containers. 

            Not only are sewer overflows and backups an inconvenience for Hampton Roads residents, they impact the environment by contaminating local waterways and harming wildlife and aquatic species. That’s a key concern for askHRgreen.org, a public awareness and education initiative backed by 17 Hampton Roads cities and counties and HRSD.

            “Keeping your drains FOG-free goes beyond the holiday season,” said Rebekah Eastep, an askHRgreen.org team leader. “These are practices we should be following year round. It’s really everybody’s responsibility to do the right thing.”

Below is a list of significant tunnel/lane closures for the Elizabeth River Crossings (ERC) facilities. All work is dependent upon weather conditions and closure dates are subject to change. For updates, follow us on Twitter @DriveERT.   

I-264 West Downtown Tunnel: Right lane closure in the Downtown Tunnel westbound on Monday, November 30; Tuesday, December 1; Wednesday, December 2 and Thursday, December 3 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning.  
I-264 East Downtown Tunnel: Left lane closure in the Downtown Tunnel eastbound on Tuesday, December 1; Wednesday, December 2 and Thursday, December 3 from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning. 

US 58 East: Alternating lane closures on US 58 East from London Blvd. to a half-mile before the Midtown Tunnel eastbound on Monday, November 30 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
US 58 West: Alternating lane closures on US 58 West from a half-mile after the Midtown Tunnel westbound to London Blvd. on Monday, November 30 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
US 58 East: Alternating lane closures on US 58 East from London Blvd. to a half-mile before the Midtown Tunnel eastbound on Tuesday, December 1; Wednesday, December 2; Thursday, December 3 and Friday, December 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
US 58 West: Alternating lane closures on US 58 West from a half-mile after the Midtown Tunnel westbound to London Blvd. on Tuesday, December 1; Wednesday, December 2; Thursday, December 3 and Friday, December 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
VA 164 East: Alternating lane closures on VA 164 East from W. Norfolk Rd. to London Blvd. on Monday, November 30 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
VA 164 West: Alternating lane closures on VA 164 West from London Blvd. to W. Norfolk Rd on Monday, November 30 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
VA 164 East: Alternating lane closures on VA 164 East from W. Norfolk Rd. to London Blvd. on Tuesday, December 1; Wednesday, December 2; Thursday, December 3 and Friday, December 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
VA 164 West: Alternating lane closures on VA 164 West from London Blvd. to W. Norfolk Rd on Tuesday, December 1; Wednesday, December 2; Thursday, December 3 and Friday, December 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.