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Text transcript of the video "Snow preps"

Watch this video clip (Real Media) Length: 1:51

Watch this video clip (Windows Media) Length: 1:51

Narrator says:

When the first big winter rains come, king county road crews spend some time chasing water, making sure drains are clear and streets don’t flood.

But we almost always get a taste of snow at least once during the winter, and road crews have to be ready for that too.

Here at the county road services yard in Shoreline, crews are doing their annual winter checks. 

Crews at all the county sites have to make sure  their teams knows how to hook up the snowplows and make sure they’re working properly…you don’t want to discover a bolt is broken or a chain is missing when you’re hustling to beat the snow.  And you want to be able to get ready with the speed and efficiency of a NASCAR pit crew.

The road sanders are checked as well, and crew members review the snowplow routes. 

Tony Ledbetter/King County Road Services Maintenance Superintendent says:

Our main priorities are our lifeline routes, usually the main arterials that go by schools, hospitals, bus routes, so that we can get most of the public moving as quick as we can.

Narrator says:

And you think you hate dealing with chains, if the big blizzard hits this winter, road crews are prepared to chain up hundreds of maintenance vehicles. 

Road signs are also prepped for quick deployment, and the foul weather gear hangs in the drying room, ready for the first snowflakes.

The county's inventory of equipment includes 32 snowplows, 11 graders, and four de-icing trucks assigned to patrol more than 2,620 miles of roadway both in unincorporated King County and eight contract cities.

Residents are encouraged to report problems on roads in unincorporated King County by calling (206) 296-8100, or 1-800-KC ROADS if you live outside the greater Seattle calling area.

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Updated:  February 22, 2005

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