Driving in snow and rain around Tacoma? Here’s what to know about the roads

Tacoma and Pierce County were reporting no major impacts to area roadways Tuesday as snow fell in the south Puget Sound region.

With the region expected to pick up less than an inch of snow before a forecast of rain Tuesday evening, the county, city and others made preparations in advance of the winter weather that the National Weather Service said will likely continue through the week.

County road crews applied salt along main roads Monday and patrolled streets throughout Tuesday.

Mark Schumacher, road maintenance superintendent with the county, said three alternating staffing groups were providing 24-hour coverage to respond to any issues that may arise.

“Really, it’s about resources and monitoring the weather conditions,” he said.

The biggest concern is not snow, which has accumulated more in highland than lowland areas, but rain, wind and leaves. Beginning Tuesday evening, winds up to 20 to 30 mph were expected, Schumacher said, and officials intended to switch from plowing snow to clearing culverts and catch basins.

Meanwhile, Tacoma deployed seven snowplows throughout the city on Tuesday and planned to continue snow and ice operations through at least Friday, depending on the forecast, the city said.

The city plows and deices streets by priority and clears one traffic lane in each direction on prioritized snow routes, all of which were open as of early Tuesday, according to city spokesperson Stacy Ellifritt. The city does not remove snow from residential streets.

Rae Bailey, division manager for the city’s Public Works Department’s street operations, said it was possible that high winds expected Tuesday evening could require crews to respond to downed trees. If so, the city will close affected roads and return to clear debris in the daylight when it is safe, he said.

With the National Weather Service forecasting more snow this week beginning Wednesday night, Bailey said the city will run six additional snowplows at night. He advised motorists to use public transportation if possible and to try to park on a flat area if they live on a hill.

“Keep your head on a swivel and watch out for your fellow drivers,” he said.

Pierce Transit’s service supervisors track conditions out in the field and report back, allowing the agency to make real-time decisions on how to address outside conditions, spokesperson Rebecca Japhet said. The agency performed proactive measures, such as deicing transit centers to ensure it was safe for travelers and buses.

“We’re just monitoring the situation really closely,” Japhet said.

There were no major incidents along highways being reported as of noon, according to the Washington Department of Transportation’s real-time travel map.

“Be prepared for changing weather conditions,” WSDOT spokesperson Cara Mitchell said. “It can go from rain to snow within a mile and this system seems to be bringing cold air, and warm air, and cold air again.”

Mitchell also reminded motorists that elevated structures, such as bridges, freeze before non-elevated areas of the highway. She said drivers should lower their speeds.

The department maintains 500 plow and dump trucks that cover 20,000 lane miles to treat roadways, according to its website.

It suggested that motorists clear snow and ice from all windows and their vehicle’s roof before driving; check road conditions prior to traveling; give snow plows plenty of space to operate; and pack snow chains.

• For more information on inclement weather in Tacoma, including a map of the city’s snow routes and key phone numbers, visit http://cityoftacoma.org/inclement_weather.

• Visit http://piercecountywa.gov/4906/Pierce-County-Road-Alerts for notices on road issues in the county.

• View WSDOT’s real-time travel map for current roadway conditions at http://wsdot.com/Travel/Real-time/Map/.

• Visit http://www.piercetransit.org/snow-extreme-weather/ to keep updated on Pierce Transit efforts.