King County Road Services - Frequently-asked questions
Road Alert
What is King County Road Alert?
King County Road Alert is a Web-based e-mail subscription service designed to notify residents and motorists about road closures or hazardous travel conditions that have a significant impact on travel in unincorporated areas of the county. This information, provided by the King County Road Services Division, enables motorists to make informed travel decisions benefiting both themselves and the region by reducing traffic impacts. As of early January 2009, the Road Alert closure information has been incorporated into a GIS-based map. Previously this information was available as a text list. Road Alert travel advisories include information about closures or traffic problems that impact a specific road or major traffic corridor. Most county roads are closed due to construction activity, weather events or other unanticipated incidents. Subscribers will also be kept informed of the status of the closure and when the road is expected to reopen. Traffic problems resulting from an accident and having a significant impact on the peak commute hours may be sent out in an alert — if information can be provided in a timely manner. You are advised to listen to radio traffic advisories for real-time traffic information. If you have any questions or comments about Road Alert, please e-mail us.
Why are there WSDOT travel alerts on the King County road closures map?
Users of King County's Road Alert map requested the addition of WSDOT travel alerts following the January 2009 flooding and snow events. King County Department of Transportation and Washington State Department of Transportation staff worked together to incorporate WSDOT travel alerts onto the Road Alert map, which were made available online on July 16, 2009. If you have questions about why WSDOT travel alerts are featured on the King County Road Alert map, please e-mail webteam.roads@kingcounty.gov. Who do I contact with questions about a travel alert that's listed on the map?
For travel alerts issued by King County, please call the 24/7 King County Road Helpline at 206-296-8100 or 1-800-527-6237 or e-mail maint.roads@kingcounty.gov. For travel alerts issued by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), please use WSDOT's feedback form on their Web site. If you have questions about why WSDOT travel alerts are featured on the King County Road Alert map, please e-mail webteam.roads@kingcounty.gov. What happened to the previous text-based version of Road Alert?
The text-based version of Road Alert is now available in (smaller) list form on the left side of the Road Alert map. Based on feedback we have received from site visitors, the new map makes it easier for people to understand the extent and location of closures.
I’m currently signed up to receive Road Alert e-mail notifications; will I still get the e-mail alerts or do I need to re-subscribe?
Yes, you will still get the e-mail alerts - Road Alert e-mail notifications are part of the new system. I want to edit or delete my subscription to King County Road Alert, how do I do that?
Visit the Road Alert subscription page and in the "Edit" column on the right side of the page, enter the e-mail address associated with your subscription. You should now be able to edit or delete your subscription. If this isn't working for you, please contact webteam.roads@kingcounty.gov and be sure to include the name and e-mail address used with the subscription. The Road Alert map is displaying but none of the closures or the traffic cameras are showing up, what’s happening?
A non-techie answer is that the system may be “asleep”. First try using your browser’s refresh function to wake the Road Alert map up. If refreshing the map doesn’t work, please send an e-mail marked “high priority” to webteam.roads@kingcounty.gov and we’ll check out the problem. I believe that the status of a road listed on your closure list is incorrect, who should I contact?
Why don’t you put out Road Alerts when an accident or other emergency has closed a road?
While the Road Services Division makes every attempt to provide timely information about road closures, the notifications are not real-time. Information is first gathered from crews out in the field and limits of the closure are confirmed prior to being posted on the Web. By the time this procedure has taken place, most short-term closures have already re-opened. I’d like to e-mail a friend information about a particular closure location or traffic camera, is that possible?
Yes, zoom into the map view that you want your friend to see, click on the “Link” symbol or text above the upper-right corner of the map, copy the URL that appears in the box, then paste it into an e-mail message. Can I view the Road Alert map on mobile devices?
No, unfortunately not at this time on most mobile devices - but you can view text lists of the closures and the traffic cameras featured on the map on our small screens page. I’m having trouble moving around on the map, is there help information available?
Yes, there are tips for navigating the map directly beneath it. If you’re still having trouble feel free to e-mail us at webteam.roads@kingcounty.gov.
What information does Road Alert provide via RSS?
Road Alert uses RSS to deliver the location and status of road closures or hazardous travel conditions that
have a significant impact on travel in unincorporated areas of King County. By monitoring Road Alert RSS feeds, subscribers stay informed of the status of closures and anticipated reopenings. What is RSS? Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is an XML-based file format used by information publishers to immediately distribute content directly to subscribers in the format of their choice. For example, a news company may provide RSS feeds of its breaking news headlines. As a news consumer, you can subscribe to receive the latest headlines using an RSS reader (also called an aggregator). Find a list of
RSS readers here.  Access the Road Alert RSS feed here:  What are the system requirements of the application?
The application was developed for Internet Explorer 7. (Internet Explorer 8 is still in Beta during this time). The Road Alert map does not have other specific system requirements. What if I only want to view the traffic cameras (or just the road closures – either current or upcoming)?
No problem – just check on or off the information you wish to view in the “Show” box to the left of the Road Alert map. I have ideas for improving the map, who should I contact?
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