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News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:
December 3, 2007
Heavy rain
causing hazardous travel conditions throughout King County
Mother Nature continues to deliver a one-two punch this morning, causing
hazardous travel conditions and other weather-related problems all
across the region.
On the heels of a snowstorm that caused tricky weekend driving
conditions, heavy rain is now causing a whole new set of problems –
everything from mudslides to urban flooding.
The King County Road Services Division reports as least 5 mudslides have
prompted road closures in the county. The most serious slides are at
Northeast 172nd Street at 152nd Place near Woodinville and at the
intersection of Jones Road and 196th Ave. Southeast near Renton.
Crews say drainage from a hillside above Jones Road caused an estimated
200 to 300 yards of mud and debris to flow onto the roadway. The story
is similar on Northeast 172nd Street, where 60 to 70 yards of debris has
covered that roadway. Clean up efforts cannot even begin until the rain
subsides and the hillsides stabilize.
There are also reports of smaller slides partially blocking travel
lanes. King County road crews are responding to these and other problems
such as downed trees and clogged storm drains.
County crews also have their eyes on rivers in King County. As the day
progresses, it’s likely residents will see some lowland flooding,
especially in flood-prone areas in the Snoqualmie Valley. So motorists
should be on the lookout for additional road closures in the valley
later today.
Local urban flooding made the morning commute a headache from thousands
of motorists, and there’s little short-term relief in site. Gusty winds
could compound these problems. With more rain yet to come, residents can
help reduce neighborhood flooding by periodically clearing storm drains
near their property.
If you must drive in areas impacted by local or river flooding, you are
reminded never to drive around barricades or road closure signs and into
standing water.
The National Weather Service is forecasting several more hours of heavy
rain, which may make driving even more treacherous as we head toward the
afternoon commute. As a result, motorists are advised to closely monitor
weather reports and road closure updates throughout the day. Motorists
should also use extreme caution when driving and anticipate deep
standing water in many locations.
Motorists who spot problems on roads maintained by King County are
encouraged to report them by calling 206-296-8100 or 1-800-KC ROADS.
King County will also issue road alerts and other updated information on
King County’s Web site at
www.kingcounty.gov, King County Department of Transportation’s Web
site at
www.kingcounty.gov/kcdot and regional alerts via the Regional Public
Information Network at www.RPIN.org.
Residents can also monitor near real-time flood data for rivers in King
County by going to:
http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/flood/flood.htm. |
