Date:
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Contact:
Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4788
SEATTLE – WSDOT will activate its Emergency Operations Center early Tuesday to manage the morning commute response to challenging winter conditions in Western Washington. WSDOT crews are working around the clock clearing snow, applying sand and deicer and responding to blocking incidents.
Drivers should expect slick conditions across Western Washington with snow and/or ice on most highways and freeways. WSDOT urges drivers to stay home unless they absolutely need to travel. Here are some of the critical areas at this hour:
King County
- A collision has closed both lanes of SR 509 at the S. 128th Street exit in Burien. Drivers are able to get off the freeway at the exit and back on at the on-ramp.
- I-90 is back open at Sunset Way in Issaquah after numerous collisions Monday night. Drivers can expect compact snow and ice on the freeway.
- Southbound I-5 remains congested between I-405 and SR 516 due to numerous disabled vehicles.
- Northbound I-5 traffic is improving, but drivers can still expect delays between North Seattle and the Snohomish County line due to snow, ice and collisions.
- WSDOT expects to open the I-5 Express Lanes in the southbound direction by 5 a.m. Crews were planning to open the lanes at midnight, but they had to wait for a tow to clear a disabled vehicle that got stuck in the gate entrance at Northgate. Crews are applying deicer to the entrance and exit ramps.
Snohomish County
- Northbound I-405 is backed up between NE 124th Street in Kirkland and SR 527 in Bothell. All lanes of the freeway are open following a long closure Monday night due to multiple collisions.
- The rest areas at Smokey Point on northbound and southbound I-5 are closed due to power outage.
- SR 522 is back open from SR 9 to Paradise Lake Road near Woodinville WSDOT crews sanded the highway Tuesday night, but drivers should be cautious due to snow and ice on the roadway.
Whatcom County
- All lanes of southbound I-5 remain blocked at milepost 263 in Ferndale by a jackknifed semi.
- All roads north of Bellingham have compact snow and ice. Conditions are better south of Bellingham.
Skagit County
- SR 9 is closed between SR 534 and Bryant Road due to falling trees. This five-mile section closed at 5 a.m. Monday and will reopen when WSDOT crews determine it is safe.
Jefferson County
- Chains are strongly recommended for semi-trucks on U.S. 101 between the Big Quilcene River (milepost 297) and Bee Mill Road (milepost 303) in the Mt. Walker.
Island County
- Highway 20 south of Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island has compact snow and ice. Drivers should watch for downed trees.
Pierce County
- No weather-related closures to report.
- Drivers can expect icy conditions on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (SR 16). Late Monday night WSDOT cleared a midspan collision on the bridge.
- In other locations crews report up to an inch of snow on state highways and temperatures below freezing.
Thurston County
- No weather-related closures to report.
- Crews report snow accumulations of up to an inch on state highways and temperatures below freezing.
Clallam County
- SR 112 near Port Angeles reopened at 5 p.m. Monday. The route had been closed in both directions between mileposts 23 and 61.
- SR 117 (Tumwater Truck Road) near Port Angeles remains closed to traffic in both directions until further notice due to snow and ice glaze.
Snoqualmie Pass
- I-90 Snoqualmie Pass - traction tires advised.
Alternate Passes
- US 2 Stevens Pass – Traction tires required. Chains required on vehicles over 10,000 gross vehicle weight.
- US 12 White Pass – Traction tires required. Chains required on vehicles over 10,000 gross vehicle weight.
- US 97 Blewett Pass – traction tires advised
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 percent.
- Drivers can expect these conditions to continue into the Tuesday morning commute as temperatures stay below freezing.
- Over a 24-hour period 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.
What can drivers do?
- If you can, stay at home and wait until driving conditions improve. If you must travel, drive for winter conditions by slowing down and keeping extra space between you and the vehicle in front of you. If you find yourself stranded, be safe and stay in your car, put on your flashers, call for help and wait until it arrives.
- Check the web before you head out to get an accurate picture of conditions. www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/.
- Drivers can call 511 from any phone to get timely updates on the road. If you’re on the road, have a passenger call 511 to get timely updates on the road. You can also view our traffic page, including mountain pass reports, on your cell phone or PDA’s
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