Our crews have been working non-stop to plow and clear streets, and we are so thankful for them! As more snow and ice heads our way later today and throughout the coming week, they’ll continue to be out there, working hard to prioritize plowing and deicing treatments on our most critical streets. These are major arterials – Seattle’s busiest streets – most frequently used by bus, freight, police and emergency vehicles. We want to make sure our first responders can get out to do their work to keep Seattle safe.
Our winter weather response plan – gold and emerald routes.
Know our plowing priorities.
These critical streets are broken into two tiers: Gold and Emerald.
Gold Snow Routes
Our gold snow routes provide regional connections. Our goal is to plow and maintain snow and ice-free pavement for all travel lanes within 12 hours of a significant lull in the storm.
Emerald Snow Routes
Our emerald snow routes provide citywide connections. Our goal is to plow and maintain snow and ice-free pavement for one lane in each direction within 12 hours of a significant lull in the storm.
Because our crews are already working around the clock to maintain service on the Gold and Emerald Snow Routes (to make sure our busiest streets are safe for travelers), we do not have capacity or resources to plow and treat all of Seattle’s streets.\
What streets have been plowed?
Caption: keep tabs on which streets have been treated, when, using our Storm Response Map.
You can track plowing progress at our interactive Storm Response Map. It shows the roads that our crews have serviced within the last hour and the last 3 hours, as well as reported obstacles that we’re responding to.
Reminders: stay home (if you can), sidewalks, and transit.
Need to travel?
Remember that teleworking some of us were able to practice during the Squeeze? During this next round of the #SeattleFreeze, we encourage folks who can to work from home. If you need to travel to work or shop for groceries, please allow yourself plenty of extra time for travel and consider taking public transit or walking to your destination if possible. In addition to several more inches of snow (set to start falling this afternoon), we’re expecting a lot of ice, so please plan ahead and be safe.
Transit – Emergency Snow Network
Metro is operating its Emergency Snow Network today. This means only some Metro routes are running, mostly the ones that serve main arterials and transit centers. Learn more about the Emergency Snow Network (ESN). Be prepared. Expect delays. The ESN is not reflected in Metro’s trip planner. Thank you, transit operators who are out there keeping us moving!
Shovel those sidewalks.
Last, but certainly not least, we need to all work together to keep our sidewalks clear and safe. Sidewalk clearing is the responsibility of residents and businesses, so please help everyone out by shoveling yours before the ice has the opportunity to form.
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