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Week of Dec. 17, 2008
Around the clock, King County Roads is on duty
The Roads dispatch desk is manned around the clock. | Coming off the first major storm events of this winter season, King County residents have a fresh picture in their minds of what a travel headache the weather can cause. About 20 roads had to be closed due to flooding, mudslides, and sinkholes. Isolated flooding also damaged some homes and businesses.As county residents face the rest of what winter has to offer weather-wise, it’s a good time to keep in mind that the King County Road Services Division answers the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week – rain or shine. During the stormy weather at the beginning of the month, calls to the Road Services Division’s Renton office increased about ten-fold. While the dispatch desk typically receives about 15-25 daily calls, Monday, Dec. 3 it got more than 200, pressing many road crews into action around the clock to repair the damage left behind by the storm. The Roads Division handles a wide variety of customer-service calls. It’s not just the big service calls associated with bad weather, but also the everyday needs like filling potholes and trimming bushes around stop signs.
Jon Breiling | King County Resident Jon Breiling knows that first-hand. He lives about four miles from work and rides his bike to get there every day. After the severe windstorms of 2006, he says fallen debris made his bike commute much harder.“There were a lot of branches down. I just let them know it was pretty bad,” said Breiling. “I actually had to go out into traffic to get around some of the bigger sticks. They were pretty quick on that in getting it swept up, so it was much-appreciated.” The bulk of the calls that come into the Renton office are associated with maintenance projects, but staff can also help residents in unincorporated areas with issues regarding traffic and pedestrian safety. The Roads Division's maintenance office averages about 5,000 calls every year. After requests are processed and categorized according to urgency, they’re sent to division supervisors. After the work’s completed, that supervisor will typically inform the citizen who requested the work that it’s finished. While a request is pending, citizens can also inquire about its status since all requests are recorded in a database upon arrival. If you need county crews to work on an unincorporated King County road, you have three options. Make the request over the phone by calling (206) 296-8100, email the Road Services Division, or you can send a fax to (206) 296-8198.
As of Friday, Dec. 14, a portion of the Redmond Park-and-Ride on 161st Avenue Northeast was closed. This section of the lot has been sold to a private developer for a residential project, and the proceeds will finance the construction of a park-and-ride garage on the remaining section of the lot. That garage is scheduled to open in 2009. In the meantime, additional parking for bus riders has been made available at the following locations: • Interim Redmond Park-and-Ride – 8701 160th Avenue NE
• Redwood Family Church – 11500 Redmond-Woodinville Road NE
• Home Depot – 17777 NE 76th St. (near Bear Creek Park-and-Ride)
The Seahawks host the Ravens this Sunday at 1 p.m. at Qwest Field in the last home game of the regular season. Riding Metro to the game is a great way to cut through the traffic surrounding the stadium. There will be special shuttles to Qwest Field from the following park-and-ride lots: Northgate, South Kirkland, Eastgate, Kent/James Street, and Federal Way/South 320th Street. The fare is $3 each way. Or, check the Trip Planner to see if there is regular bus service to the stadium from your starting location. See Metro Online for details on service to Sunday’s game. |
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Metro Transit bus routes will operate on a Sunday schedule on Tuesday, Dec. 25 for the Christmas holiday. Also, while most of the system will operate on a regular schedule on Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24, some routes and trips will be cancelled. The schedule for the New Year’s holiday is similar. There will be a regular schedule with some cancellations on Dec. 31, and all bus routes will be on a Sunday schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 1. All Metro customer service offices, including Rider Information, will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. For complete holiday service information, visit Metro Online.
KCIA Director Bob Burke (left) and Long Nguyen. | For the past several years, staff at the King County International Airport (KCIA) at Boeing Field have handed out an “Award for Volunteer Excellence” to recognize individuals who improve the quality of life and work at KCIA. This year's recipient is Long Nguyen, a dedicated volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). Nguyen is a private pilot who flies in and out of KCIA. He volunteers at least 40 hours of his time a week to CAP by either teaching classes, giving flight lessons to fellow members, or participating in search-and-rescue missions. Nguyen also flies for “Angel Flight,” which arranges free air transportation for charitable and medical needs. | Subscribe to DOT DashSign-up to receive an e-mail text version of "Transportation Today," along with other significant DOT news by sending an e-mail to us with subscribe King County DOT Dash in the subject line.
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