Roads Maintenance — Emergency and storm response

The Roads Maintenance Section staff are prepared to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all roadway emergencies. Motorists are urged to use extra caution when traveling during inclement weather and never to drive around roadway barricades or through closed roads.

Flooding and sandbags

Many areas of King County routinely suffer from severe storms striking the Puget Sound area, which results in various stages of flooding. If you live in a flood prone location, the county strongly recommends that you be well prepared for the flood season. This would include having a list of contacts for both sand and sandbags. The county does not provide sand and sandbags unless there is imminent danger to life and/or public property. If you have a flooding emergency and need immediate assistance, please call 911. If you have roadway flooding issues, contact the King County 24/7 Road Helpline at 206-296-8100 or toll-free at 1-800-KCROADS.

Downed trees on public roadways

Please contact King County Road Services at 206-296-8100 or toll-free at 1-800-KCROADS if there are downed trees within the public roadway and right-of-ways. The location of the problem and any information provided will be dispatched out to the appropriate Maintenance Division. If power lines are involved, contact your local power provider immediately. Do not go near the downed power lines! County crews will complete the clearing and cleanup once the power company has removed the trees or limbs from the lines and safety threats have been removed.

Snow and ice weather events

The Roads Maintenance Section conducts anti-icing, sanding, and snow removal operations to mitigate hazardous driving conditions during snow and ice events through the use of the King County Snow and Ice Plan. The King County Snow and Ice Plan identifies major arterials, Metro Transit and school bus snow routes, emergency routes (i.e., hospital access routes), and access roads to freeways and park and ride lots. Our goal is to keep regional mobility during a snow and ice event, however, depending on the severity of the event, it may not eliminate the impacts or effects of a widespread snow emergency.

During inclement weather, the Roads Maintenance Section will make every effort to maintain the traffic flow in unincorporated King County to as near normal driving conditions as possible. You may contact the Roads Helpline at 206-296-8100 or 1-800-KCROADS to request specific areas that are not identified in the Snow and Ice Plan to be sanded or cleared. Depending on the severity of the event, these requests will be addressed as the weather event permits.

It is recommended during the winter months you be prepared for any inclement weather events that could have an impact on the motoring public. If you have an emergency or are in eminent danger, please call 911 immediately.

Abandoned vehicles due to storm

During weather related incidents such as snow and ice, flooding, or trees down, any vehicles found blocking the roadway, are subject to impound. Those vehicle owners should contact the Sheriff's Office at 206-296-3311 to verify if their vehicle was impounded.

Your vehicle will very likely to be towed away if it is abandoned on a snow and ice route. Roads designated as snow and ice routes must be kept open for emergency response vehicles. To find out where the snow routes are in King County, check out the Snow and Ice Plan or Map below.

Resources

• Snow and Ice Map for Unincorporated King County (4MB .pdf)
• King County Flood Warning System - River basin maps, real-time gage readings, etc.
• Four snow phases - King County Road Services response to each of the snow phases.
• Hazards and disasters - Info on the most common disasters that can strike King County and hazard-specific preparedness steps.
• Personal preparedness - Steps for how to be prepared for an emergency.

Glossary

Visit our glossary for an explanation of common road terms and jargon.

Contact us

Also see: Additional contact information