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SDOT talks Winter WeatherPreparations with KING TV

SDOT Street Maintenance Operations Manager Christopher Luedke shares with KING TV Traffic Anchor Tracy Taylor, SDOT’s winter preparations plan explaining major streets are prioritized for snow response and the use of de-icing salt and plows are ready when called into action. Christopher tells Tracy, “It’s a coordinated regional effort with other city, county, and state agencies working together to keep people and traffic moving so they can get to where there going”.

We will plow major streets which are the streets that are most important for getting to major public institutions such as hospitals and schools; the streets that are most frequently used by police, fire trucks and buses; and streets leading to Seattle’s major employers. We do not plow non-arterial streets.

In Seattle, winter can bring heavy rain, high winds, ice and snow. We’re monitoring conditions.

  • Our staff follows weather reports 24 hours a day, all year long, with a direct line to the National Weather Service and live Doppler radar feeds.
  • We use a forecasting tool developed with the University of Washington called SNOWWATCH to learn how a storm will most likely affect different neighborhoods. This information helps determine where the crews will be needed first.
  • Our computerized sensors located on city bridges, and also ground surface sensors, provide timely and accurate air and roadway surface temperatures.
  • We use real-time, live-streaming cameras to see actual conditions on key streets. You can see the camera views on SDOT’s website, www.seattle.gov/travelers.

The City of Seattle takes a proactive approach, using best practices to respond to snow and ice:

    • SDOT crews use trucks fitted with plows and salt-spreaders to keep major streets clear.
    • When conditions allow, the crews pre-treat key streets and bridges with salt brine before the snow starts falling to help prevent ice from forming.
    • As the snow begins to fall, the crews continue to drive their routes, treating the roadway with salt brine or granular salt where needed. When approximately one inch of snow has accumulated, they begin plowing.
    • During a snow event, a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system tracks the locations of the trucks. The Winter Weather Response Map on SDOT’s website shows where the trucks are at the current time and also which streets the trucks have already serviced. During a major storm you will be able to see the map on our website at web6.seattle.gov/sdot/winterweathermap.We start preparing for winter in the summer, training staff, calibrating equipment and working with local agency partners.
    • When high winds or heavy rain are forecast, our crews are ready to remove fallen trees from the road, and to repair signs and signals.
    • Our supplies of granular salt and salt brine are ready to help keep ice from forming on main city streets and bridges.
SDOT Street Maintenance Operations Manager Christopher Luedke chats with KING TV Traffic Anchor Tracy Taylor, about SDOT’s winter preparations plan

SDOT Street Maintenance Operations Manager Christopher Luedke chats with KING TV Traffic Anchor Tracy Taylor, about SDOT’s winter preparations plan

 

KING TV Morning Anchors Joyce Taylor, Tracy Taylor, Rich Marriott, and Mark Wright during the "Take Winter By Storm" video shoot where SDOT talked about Winter weather preparedness

KING TV Morning Anchors Joyce Taylor, Tracy Taylor, Rich Marriott, and Mark Wright during the “Take Winter By Storm” video shoot where SDOT talked about Winter weather preparedness