County preps for winter with new snow plans,
more tools for Metro & Road Services

On the heels of one of the worst winters in memory, King County is introducing some big changes to help keep people moving this season – whether they’re on a Metro bus or on a county road.

Metro has new ways to communicate

One of the biggest challenges Metro faced last year was keeping riders informed of service disruptions. The ability to provide real-time bus information won’t be available this winter, but Metro is introducing some new tools designed to speed the flow of customer information.

This season, customers will be able use the Internet to quickly see which buses in the Metro system are on snow route based on “geographic area.” Just as congestion is measured by color on congestion flow maps, the use of green, yellow or red on Metro’s new online snow map will give riders a snapshot of bus operations in each of seven geographic areas of the county. Green will indicate buses are operating on normal routes, yellow will signify minor reroutes (primarily in higher elevation areas), and red will alert customers that buses in the entire geographic area are on snow route or are being significantly impacted by snow.

If a major snowstorm spanning several days strikes, Metro will activate a newly designed Emergency Service Network with 70 pre-identified “priority” snow routes. Metro will make every attempt to keep service operating on these routes as long as transportation service providers are able to keep roads passable.

Also new this season is an improved Metro Online website with better design and easier navigation to keep riders connected to transit information. Customers are also being encouraged to sign up online for enhanced Metro Transit Alerts that deliver email or text messages about widespread service disruptions or weather events impacting their individual bus route.

Metro is also producing a booklet highlighting snow route maps and details about its new Emergency Service Network. The booklet will be available on buses and at Metro kiosks in early December.

In addition to the technology and operational changes, Metro is experimenting with a new type of mud and snow tire on 65 of its standard 40-foot coaches.

The county’s Road Services Division has also been busy preparing for snow and ice removal on roads in unincorporated King County. And, two weeks ago the plows began their winter work in the Skykomish area.

The Road Division also has more specialized equipment this season. The division will have four additional anti-ice applicators, four new devices that pre-treat the sand before it is applied to roads for extra traction, and five dump trucks upgraded to carry both snow plows and sanders. That gives the county a total of 45 vehicles dedicated to keeping roadways passable during winter weather.

The division has also doubled its supply of anti-icing material and purchased additional storage tanks to have more on hand in more locations. The additional tanks will allow crews to refill the trucks more quickly and get the anti-icer out on the roads faster. And, it has increased its stockpile of bulk salt through a cooperative purchase with WSDOT.

Also new this year, the division will be testing a GPS tracking application on some of its snow plows aimed at more quickly deploying crews where they are most needed. This pilot project will also help the division track and measure the effectiveness of its storm response.

More coordination across the county

Over the past several months, Road Division staff has been coordinating with other jurisdictions and transportation agencies to identify priority snow routes for plowing and sanding, which will benefit Metro as well as motorists.

Based on lessons learned last winter, Metro has revised and simplified snow routes and has closely coordinated with other public works and transportation agencies to make sure bus routes are identified as priorities for plowing and sanding.

Agency leaders also negotiated a separate agreement with the city of Seattle to exchange staff during weather emergencies for improved coordination and to help the city plow streets, if necessary, in an effort to keep buses moving.

The Road Division has worked with the state and several local cities to develop a snow route map that prioritizes snow and ice removal on major arterials, public and school bus routes, emergency corridors leading to hospitals, and access to highways.

Road Division staff has also enhanced the online Road Alert website to reflect both King County and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) road closures. During times of adverse weather, the online map and email alerts are a valuable tool for motorists.

To find out more about what Metro and the Road Services Division are doing this winter, watch video from the Nov. 6 news conference.

REMINDER: Reduced schedule for buses on Wednesday

Wednesday, Nov. 11 is Veteran’s Day, and King County Metro Transit will be operating with a reduced weekday schedule on that day.

On days with reduced weekday schedules, some commuter and school-oriented routes do not operate, and other routes have individual trips canceled. Many routes will have no changes. Regular fares apply on most of these days.

Metro is reminding bus riders that it will be operating this reduced weekday schedule on several holidays now through January – including a full week of reduced service at the end of December. The reduced schedule is being used for holiday periods where Metro has historically seen 20-40 percent fewer weekday riders.

For more information, visit Metro Online.

Three-day closure coming up for Lake Holm Road

Work begins next week on a traffic safety project on Southeast Lake Holm Road east of Auburn. Crews will need to close a section of the road for three days to complete the work.

The King County Road Services Division is using federal funding from the Rural Safety Innovation Program (RSIP) to complete projects on Southeast Lake Holm Road and along Northeast Novelty Hill Road east of Redmond. These improvements include: installing warning flashers that detect the presence of approaching vehicles; driver feedback signs that measure and display the speed of approaching vehicles; and message signs that warn drivers when they are going faster than the advised speed limit.

Lake Holm Road will be closed between Southeast Auburn-Black Diamond Road and 129th Way Southeast from 7 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 through 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20. Motorists can detour via Auburn-Black Diamond Road to 148th/147th Avenue Southeast.