Date:
Monday, November 27, 2006
Contact:
Jamie Holter, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4472 (Seattle)
Lisa Murdock, WSDOT Communications, (360) 357.2789 (Tumwater)
SEATTLE - Washington State Department of Transportation crews have been working non-stop for the past two days clearing ice and snow in the lowlands and heading up to the passes to assist in road clearing there. We have 190 vehicles in Western Washington working this storm.
The storm is hitting Skagit County particularly hard right now.
Here are some of the critical areas at this hour:
Whatcom County
- WSDOT is sending four additional crews to the area to clear I-5.
- Drivers should watch for blowing snow in the east county area.
- I-5 south of Bellingham has patches of snow and ice. Drivers should navigate the roads with extreme care.
- I-5 between Bellingham and the border is particularly rough. WSDOT crews are working to clear the compact snow and ice from the road. Large truck drivers should drive with extreme care.
- Crews say stay home if you can.
Skagit County
- It is snowing hard.
- SR 530 is now closed due to falling trees between Trafton and Arnot Road. Many trees are down in the area.
- Highway 9 has been closed between SR 534 and Bryant Road due to falling trees since 5 am. This five mile section will reopen when WSDOT crews determine it is safe.
- SR 534 - From English Road and Bulson Road the road is now open. Power lines are cleaned up.
- The iciest spots are north of Marysville.
- There is compact snow and ice on many roads between Arlington and Darrington.
- A semi-truck rolled over near Kincaid Street at 9 a.m. and spilled a load of hay, but it is now cleared to the side.
Snohomish County
- The intersection of SR 99 and SR 525 is particularly icy. WSDOT have replied de-icer to the area.
- Watch for extra traffic on I-5 due to the SR 9 closure in North Snohomish/ South Skagit counties.
- More snow is likely for Snohomish County today.
King County
- State highways are in good condition.
- More snow is likely for east King County today.
Pierce County
- I-5 throughout Pierce County is moving very slowly due to intermittent snow showers. Drivers appear to be avoiding the right lane.
- I-5 southbound between Lakewood and Olympia seems to be especially congested.
- Consider delaying your travel plans.
Thurston County
- It is snowing heavily at this time and traffic, especially southbound traffic, is moving very slowly.
Clallam County
- SR 112 is closed from milepost 23.0 to milepost 61.0 in both directions, between the SR 113 interchange near the community of Pysht and the U.S. 101 interchange near Port Angeles, in Clallam County. Heavy snow accumulation has forced maintenance crews to close the highway in both directions. We closed the road yesterday at 8 p.m.
- SR 117, known locally as Tumwater Truck Road, is closed from milepost 0.0 to milepost 1.4 in both directions due to heavy snow accumulation. We closed the road yesterday at 5:10 pm.
Snoqualmie Pass
- Traction tires are required over the summit. Trucks over 10,000 GVW must use chains.
- Snoqualmie Pass closed for avalanche control between Gold Creek and Price Creek between 8:55 a.m. and 9:40 a.m. It is now open.
- The area has received more than 12 inches of snow in the past 24 hours
Interesting facts:
- WSDOT has more than 190 trucks on the road in greater Puget Sound working this storm. Equipment includes snow plows, sanders, dump trucks, graders and deicers.
- We have more than 250 people working the roads.
- We applied de-icer to many roads overnight, however drivers should always pay extra attention to ramps, bridges and overpasses.
- We are now metering some ramps across Seattle. We are metering ramps where we can confirm there is no ice build up.
What can drivers do?
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