News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:  Nov. 28, 2006

King County bracing for the next weather headache

First the snow, now the black ice

Just as King County road and Metro Transit crews begin to gain the upper hand in their efforts to return roads and transit service to normal this afternoon, there’s this: the onslaught of sub-freezing temperatures and a renewed threat of black ice – just in time for the afternoon commute.

Almost all Metro buses will be chained up for this afternoon’s commute, and most routes serving the suburban and outlying areas of King County will be on snow routing. When buses are on adverse weather routing, Metro revises its service to bypass hazardous and hilly streets. Passengers should check paper timetables and online schedules for the adverse weather routing for their particular bus route. See Metro Online for information.

If the weather stays cold, it is likely that the buses will be chained up for Wednesday morning’s commute as well.

Metro workers have been on duty around the clock to chain up buses, sand roads near bus stops, and retrieve stuck buses. Customer service staff has also been busy. On Monday, Metro Rider Information staff responded to more than 66,000 phone calls from bus riders.

King County road crews have been equally busy, working 12-hour split shifts to remove snow from roadways throughout the county. The effort has been particularly difficult for snowplows attempting to maneuver around cars that have been abandoned along some arterials. In general, snowfall has ranged from under an inch of snow to several inches around the county, with plateau areas, and eastern parts of the county the hardest hit.

As road crews continue to plow snow from major arterials, they are also turning their attention to sanding. It’s likely that many roads thawed by the afternoon sun, will refreeze after sunset. This threat of black ice could result in even more treacherous travel conditions than what commuters saw last night and this morning.

That concern is prompting the county’s Roads Division and Metro Transit to renew their call for commuters who did venture out this morning to be well prepared as they head home. With the potential for some roads to begin refreezing as the commute is underway, motorists should drive slowly and cautiously, since it is very difficult to spot black ice on roadways. And commuters planning to hop a Metro bus should be familiar with snow routes that may impact their scheduled trip. All commuters should dress warmly when heading out and expect slow going, no matter what mode of travel they’re using.