Virginia Stabilized Construction Entrances and Trackout Control
VESMA Construction General Permit VAR10 and Stabilized Construction Entrance Compliance
Virginia holds some of the most closely watched waters in the country. More than 7,200 miles of tidal shoreline connect to the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, while the James, Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and Shenandoah rivers drain the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge, and the John H. Kerr Reservoir and the Atlantic coast round out the state's water resources. With construction booming across Northern Virginia's data center corridor, the Richmond and Hampton Roads metros, and the Shenandoah Valley, keeping sediment on the job site and off public roads is a core compliance duty, and a stabilized construction entrance is one of the first controls installed and inspected.
Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program
Virginia consolidated its erosion and stormwater programs in 2024. Effective July 1, 2024, the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Act (VESMA) brought the former Erosion and Sediment Control and Stormwater Management programs together under a single regulation, the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Regulation (9VAC25-875), administered by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). To support the change, DEQ released the Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook, and erosion and sediment control now runs through local Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Programs (VESMPs) or DEQ where it serves as the authority.
Construction that disturbs one acre or more, or that is part of a larger common plan of development of that size, requires coverage under the Construction General Permit (VAR10) for stormwater discharges. The current VAR10 permit cycle took effect July 1, 2024 and runs through June 30, 2029. To obtain coverage, an operator has the erosion and sediment control and stormwater management plans approved by the VESMP authority, prepares a project-specific Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), and submits a Registration Statement to DEQ or the local authority. The SWPPP identifies the site's pollutant sources and the best management practices (BMPs) used to control sediment and runoff.
Virginia's regulation is direct about trackout. Among the minimum standards carried into 9VAC25-875, contractors must prevent sediment from being tracked onto paved public roads, and where sediment is deposited it must be removed at the end of each day by shoveling or sweeping, with street washing allowed only after the sediment has been removed. These requirements apply to all land-disturbing activity, including individual development lots.
The Temporary Stone Construction Entrance and Its Limits
Virginia's technical guidance, the Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook and the state's updated standards and specifications, sets the design for the stabilized construction entrance through the Temporary Stone Construction Entrance practice. The entrance is a pad of number 1 VDOT coarse aggregate, roughly two to three inch stone, at least 70 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 6 inches deep, laid over a woven filter fabric after excavating about three inches to prepare the subgrade. The entrance is installed at every point of vehicular ingress and egress, with all traffic directed through it, and it works only if every vehicle exits across the pad.
The weakness of the stone entrance is maintenance. As sediment fills the voids, the aggregate stops scrubbing tires and must be refreshed with new rock, or washed and reused with proper drainage so the sediment does not reach a storm drain. When the stone pad alone is not enough, a wash rack sprays tires with pressurized water and must drain to a sediment trap or basin, which adds water handling and cleanout. Each traditional option carries a recurring cost and a maintenance cycle that a durable manufactured entrance can avoid.
FODS as a Compliant Construction Entrance in Virginia
Virginia does not maintain a brand-name product approval list for construction exits. DEQ and the local VESMP authorities judge a construction entrance on whether it performs the function the standard describes, cleaning tires and holding sediment before vehicles reach the road, and the operator specifies the chosen practice in the approved erosion and sediment control plan and the SWPPP. FODS Trackout Control Mats can be named directly in those plans as the site's stabilized construction entrance, satisfying the same purpose as the temporary stone entrance while removing the loose rock and the heavy maintenance the traditional design depends on. Because FODS controls trackout so effectively, it is often specified on sites that need more reliable sediment control than a stone pad or wash rack can provide.
FODS Trackout Control System
The FODS Trackout Control System is a single layer of high-density polyethylene matting with pyramid-shaped features formed across the surface. As vehicles pass, the pyramids flex the tire treads so trapped sediment and debris break loose and collect between the pyramids, clear of the tires. Each mat is twelve feet wide by seven feet in the direction of travel, and the system is modular, so an entrance can be built to fit the site. Compared with traditional methods, FODS has demonstrated a 59 percent reduction in street sweeping at high-volume sites.
The mats install over any substrate, including asphalt, concrete, or bare grade, and a standard installation takes about thirty minutes, which suits phased highway, pipeline, and commercial work where the entrance is relocated and reused as each phase advances. A 35-foot extended 1x5 configuration is commonly used to replace a 70-foot stone construction entrance while providing a wide turning radius. Performance holds up under heavy traffic and rain, and maintenance is a quick pass with a skid steer broom or a FODS shovel when sediment builds up between the pyramids. With a service life of ten years or more, the same mats can be reused across projects, which shifts the cost of a construction entrance from a recurring expense to a one-time investment.
Virginia Projects Using FODS
FODS has proven out on high-profile Virginia work. At the Caesars Virginia casino and resort in Danville, FODS served as the vehicle tracking control BMP through a large, fast-moving vertical construction site. In the Hampton Roads region, the mats have supported the Hampton Roads Connector Partners team on major transportation infrastructure around Norfolk, where heavy haul traffic and strict environmental oversight near the Chesapeake Bay make reliable trackout control essential. The system is also a strong fit for Northern Virginia's data center corridor in Loudoun and Prince William counties, the largest data center market in the world, where continuous grading and phased sitework call for an entrance that can be cleaned and relocated quickly rather than rebuilt in rock.
Risks of Vehicle Trackout on Roadways
Safety is a primary concern wherever construction traffic meets a public road. Stone exits deposit aggregate and debris onto pavement, creating hazards for drivers and workers, and loose rock can lodge between dual tires and be thrown at speed. Wheel washes add the burden of supplying and containing water. FODS uses a rockless, water-free technique to clean tires and does not carry the same risk of injury or liability as aggregate entrances. The mats are durable and reusable across many projects, which reduces the environmental impact tied to aggregate production, hauling, and disposal. On Virginia sites that drain to the James, the Potomac, the Shenandoah, or the Chesapeake Bay, keeping rock and sediment off the road also helps keep it out of the water.
Additional Resources
Virginia DEQ Stormwater - Construction
Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Regulation (9VAC25-875)
Virginia DEQ Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook
