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10 ON YOUR SIDE HAS
UNCOVERED EMAILS FROM
VDOT OFFICIALS, THAT
SHED LIGHT ON WHAT THEY
CLOSING TWO
BRIDGES AT ONCE 2 WEEKS
AGO.
TONIGHT 10 ON YOUR SIDE'S
ANNE MCNAMARA TELLS US
OFFICIALS WERE SAYING
WHILE YOU WERE SITTING IN
TRAFFIC. ANNE?
THIS WASN'T ONLY A
TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE. IT WAS
ALSO A PUBLIC RELATIONS
NIGHTMARE FOR VDOT. THE
DIRECTIVE TO CLOSE BOTH
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR
DENNIS HEUER - AND
THAT WAS THAT. HEUER
WOULDN'T LISTEN TO
WARNINGS - EVEN WHEN THEY
CAME FROM HIS OWN
WHILE YOU WERE SITTING IN
TRAFFIC,
EMAILING EACH OTHER ABOUT
"WE ARE GETTING
SPOKESPERSON WROTE ABOUT
THE
PUBLIC BACKLASH. BUT ALL
OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN
AVOIDED. IN FACT, MORE
THAN ONE VDOT EMPLOYEE
WARNED NOT TO
CLOSE BOTH BRIDGES AT THE
SAME TIME. THAT'S
ACCORDING TO AN
EMAIL FROM CHIEF OF
SYSTEMS OPERATIONS CONNIE
SORRELL. SHE
WRITES THIS WAS "CLEARLY
AND IN
SOME CASES NO PLANNING AT
ALL SORRELL SAYS THERE
WAS NO PLAN
FOR POSSIBLE EMERGENCIES
AT THE MONITOR MERRMIAC.
NO CONSIDERATION FOR
LARGE EVENTS LIKE THE AIR
SHOW. AND NO
COMMUNICATION. SHE
WRITES, TRAFFIC PROBLEMS
WERE NOT REPORTED TO 511
TO ALERT THE PUBLIC.
BUT MORE CONCERNING, THE
COMPLAINTS THAT DID COME
IN WERE
SILENCED. EMAILS SHOW
SOME CITIZEN COMMENTS
ON THE VDOT FACEBOOK
PAGE WERE SIMPLY
DELETED. IN ONE
LAUREN HANSEN URGED
ANOTHER
EMPLOYEE TO "SELECTIVELY
DELETE FB RANTS FROM THE
PUBLIC",
HANSEN WROTE SOCIAL MEDIA
"ENTICES A MOB
MENTALITY."
THE FIRST STATEMENT VDOT
RELEASED AFTER THE FACT
WAS LESS
CALLED IT
"INFLAMMATORY".CHIEF
CHARLIER KILPATRICK WROTE
"I DON'T THINK THIS
AND SECRETARY OF
TRANSPORTATION
SEAN CONNAUGHTON ASKED
WHAT WE WERE ALL THINKING
- "WHY DID THIS
HAPPEN THIS WAY?" THE
MAN WHO GAVE THE GO AHEAD
DENNIS HEUER NEVER SEEMED
CONCERNED IN EMAILS
SATURDAY.
AND WHEN TOLD THE PAVING
WAS RUNNING AHEAD OF
SCHEDULE, HE
WROTE "DON'T RUSH BASIC
TO JUST OPEN EARLIER.
SHORT TERM GAIN IN
TRAFFIC WILL BE OFFSET
WITH 10 YEARS OF ROUGH
PAVEMENT."
IT WASN'T UNTIL 10 ON
YOUR SIDE GOT THE
GOVERNOR INVOLVED MONDAY
THAT THE EMAILS HAD A
DIFFERENT TONE. THE
GOVERNOR'S OFFICE
SAYING "THIS HAS ALL THE
MAKINGS OF
A PRAIRIE FIRE IF NOT
JUMPED ON QUICKLY. TO
VDOT HE WROTE, WAVY IS
EXPECTING YOUR CALL FOR
COMMENT."
PERHAPS THE MOST POWERFUL
EMAIL
WAS HER LAST. SHE SAYS:
SO HARD TO TURN AROUND