Bellingham has been plowing roads around-the-clock. ‘Please stay home’ is their message

Bellingham has been plowed roads around-the-clock to keep up with the significant snowfall, according to Marty Gray, Bellingham Public Works Operations superintendent of operations, Tuesday, Dec. 20.

“If there is any message that I would like to put out today is ‘Please stay at home’ you would be doing everyone a great service by not traveling unless you absolutely have to,” Gray said.

Public Works Operations moved to a 12-on, 12-off rotation with crews working 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and 8 p.m.-8 a.m. since Monday, Dec. 19, to assist with police dispatch and street maintenance.

“We had nine employees that worked the day shift yesterday. The night crew had nine employees working on snow removal with our more experienced drivers plowing the main arterials and bus routes throughout the night,” Gray said.

With four large plows and three small plows, the city crews plowed over 350 lane miles in the city of Bellingham last night. The three smaller plows focused on the downtown area and streets around the Lake Whatcom Watershed.

“It was a very challenging night for the snow plow drivers as the snow was very heavy and blowing at times, visibility was low, and the constant freezing of windshields and wiper blades made things all the more difficult. As snow begins to subside today the day crews will continue to plow the streets and add more salt and sand to increase traction for traveling vehicles. Weather models show that the snow should start tapering off after 10 a.m. this morning,” Gray said in an email.

“We are not out of the woods by all means! We are going to have bitterly cold temperatures on Wednesday (Dec. 21), with a high of only 17 degrees and a low of 8 degrees. With temperatures like that, the snow and ice are going to stay around for a while with the potential for additional snow on Thursday and Friday.”

The city will continue the 12-on, 12-off schedule for the rest of the week.