Date:
Monday, November 27, 2006
Contact:
Jamie Holter, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4472 (Seattle)
Lisa Murdock, WSDOT Communications, (360) 357.2789 (Olympia)
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.
Whatcom County is very hard hit right now.
Here are some of the critical areas at this hour:
Whatcom County
- White out conditions in the northeast part of the county (Lynden to Sumas). Visibility is at zero on the Guide Meridian (SR 539) and Badger Road (SR 546) and parts of Highway 9 near Sumas.
- WSDOT are out trying to keep the snow off the road.
- 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.
- Many roads north of SR 20 are very difficult to drive on due to snow.
- Crews say stay home if you can.
Skagit County
- The squall hovering over Whidbey Island is headed toward Mt. Vernon where it is snowing very hard right now.
- SR 530 is now open. Crews cleared trees from the road at Arnot Road.
- Highway 9 is still 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.
Snohomish County
- Temperatures are warming up.
- It is starting to snow again in east Snohomish County
- WSDOT crews have completed work on primary routes, they are now working on smaller state highways.
King County
- WSDOT maintenance crews have closed the I-5 express lanes for emergency maintenance. We expect to open the lanes in the northbound direction at 12:30 p.m.
- More snow is possible for east King County today.
Pierce County
Thurston County
- The snow is tapering off.
Clallam County
- It is snowing hard in Port Angeles and from Forks to Sequim.
- 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. Crews have cleared the heavy snow but power lines and debris are still littering the road.
- SR 117, known locally as Tumwater Truck Road, is closed from milepost 0.0 to milepost 1.4 in both directions due to downed power lines. When the lines are cleared, we will reopen the roadway.
Snoqualmie Pass
- I-90 Snoqualmie Pass - traction tires are advised.
Alternate Passes
- US 2 Stevens Pass – traction tires required eastbound, traction tires advised westbound.
- US 12 White Pass – traction tires required, chains required on vehicles over 10,000 gross vehicle weight.
- US 97 Blewett Pass – traction tires required, chains required on vehicles over 10,000 gross vehicle weight.
Interesting facts:
- Drivers flocked to WSDOT’s mountain pass Web pages over the holiday weekend. On Wednesday, Nov .15, the Snoqualmie Pass Web page had 51,000 page views. On Wednesday, Nov. 22, the same page has 121,000 page views, an increase of 137%
- We expect showers in the lowlands tonight and temperatures will drop. It is likely King and Snohomish counties will see black ice in the morning.
- 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.
What can drivers do?
- Drive for winter conditions. Driver should slow down and keep extra space between you and the vehicle in front of you.
- Check the web before you head out to get an accurate picture of conditions. www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/
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