News from the King County Department of Transportation
Release Date:  Jan 7, 2009 at 3:30 p.m.

Major flooding prompts numerous King County Road closures; Metro Transit assisting with evacuations

King County road crews continue to respond to a variety of dangerous flood related problems this afternoon as Metro Transit mobilizes to help with emergency evacuations due to rising floodwater.

Travel throughout King County has become extremely treacherous in many locations as rising rivers, mudslides and urban flooding have cut off access to thousands of residents.

“Given the severity of weather conditions, especially in the Snoqualmie Valley, residents traveling home from work should use extreme caution as they travel into flood prone areas this afternoon and evening,” Road Services Superintendent Tony Ledbetter said.  “Given the number of closures, we are advising residents to have a back-up plan in case access to their neighborhoods is cut off.  Residents are strongly urged to find alternate routes or forgo their trip if it means traveling on roads typically closed during flooding.”

Currently more than 20 county maintained roads are closed throughout the county due to river flooding, mudslides or washouts. Many of those roads are the result of major flooding on the Snoqualmie River.  Additional closures should be expected through tomorrow as higher flows move through the Snoqualmie River system. Currently only the Woodinville-Duvall Road is open to motorists heading to Carnation and Duvall.  However, it’s likely that road will also be closed as flooding in the lower valley worsens.

Motorists are again warned of the dangers associated with driving through deep standing water or around barricades and road closure signs.  Residents should also closely monitor the latest road updates at www.kingcounty.gov/roadalert.

Elsewhere in East King County, Metro Transit is assisting with a nursing home evacuation in North Bend. Two Metro buses and five Access vans are being used to temporarily relocate 38 residents from Mt. Si Transitional Health Center to other facilities in Snoqualmie, Renton, Auburn, Puyallup, and Tacoma.
 
Also, Metro is experiencing a few reroutes for its own bus service related to flooding and closed roads in the Snoqualmie Valley area. Check Metro Online at www.kingcounty.gov/metro for individual route information. Don't forget to refresh your browser with each visit, because travel conditions are changing quickly.