Date:
Friday, January 04, 2008
Contact:
Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications (360) 705-7080 (Olympia)
OLYMPIA ¬– As the Seattle Seahawks ready for the Washington Redskins, WSDOT crews have their own game plan to get fans to Qwest Field Saturday.
“Our team is ready,” said WSDOT Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond, noting forecasters predict significant wind in the Hood Canal area and north of Everett, and close to 10 inches of snow in the mountains tonight and Saturday.
WSDOT expects heavy game-day traffic coming from all over Washington, with additional vehicles coming on SR 520, I-90, and the Olympia Peninsula, more drivers on I-5 between Portland and Seattle and I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass.
WSDOT will help accommodate traffic flow into and out of Seattle using the reversible Express Lanes on I-5 and I-90. The reversible express lanes will be open for game-day traffic and Incident Response Team drivers will be helping those stuck on the roadway.
“We’re positioning our people and equipment to take on Mother Nature. We will be using all the necessary resources to keep drivers safe and traffic moving,” Hammond said.
WSDOT crews have been kept busy this winter, but all the tools in its arsenal are tuned and ready to fight the current storm heading into Washington. Snow fell in the passes nearly every day during the last three weeks of December, with daily accumulations averaging five or more inches.
The WSDOT offensive specialists will be gathering data, checking all bridges, scheduling crews and applying anti-icers when forecasts call for ice and snow. The veteran defense will fight through the storm, focusing on the 520 Evergreen Point and Hood Canal floating bridges, and clearing any wind-related debris or snow from roadways.
Drivers should also take some extra time to prepare themselves and their cars for winter travel, especially those traveling mountain pass highways. Remember, ice and snow, take it slow.
Know Before You Go:
• On WSDOT’s updated winter Web site, www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter, drivers can find links to all kinds of winter driving-related information including preparing a vehicle for winter driving, a list of winter emergency kit items, safe driving tips and information on mountain pass travel advisories.
• WSDOT offers several ways to get up-to-date traffic and construction information from our Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov before you leave your home or office.
• At www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/weather drivers can look at weather forecasts and road temperatures throughout the state.
• At www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts, the color-coded map shows statewide traffic conditions, including construction delays and highway incidents.
• 511 - This driver information phone line provides real-time traffic, incident and closure information. TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388 while out-of-state callers can call 1-800-695-ROAD (7623)
• Drivers with Web service on their cellular phones and PDAs can access the Seattle area traffic flow map, ferry schedules, mountain pass reports at www.wsdot.wa.gov/small.
On the Road:
• Overhead and roadside electronic signs – Overhead and freeway signs provide emergency and incident alerts and, in some Seattle-area locations during rush hours, point-to-point travel times
• Highway advisory radio - Yellow signs with flashing lights alert drivers to tune into radio frequencies airing construction updates. Think about programming AM 1610 and AM 530 into your car radio.
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