Skip to main content

You make this possible. Support our independent, nonprofit newsroom today.

Give Now

No, Seattle, not every street will get snowplowed

caption: Bryan Baker sleds with his 5-year-old daughter Avery Baker on Monday, February 4, 2019, next to the West Queen Anne playfield at the intersection of 3rd Avenue West and West Howe Street in Seattle.
Enlarge Icon
Bryan Baker sleds with his 5-year-old daughter Avery Baker on Monday, February 4, 2019, next to the West Queen Anne playfield at the intersection of 3rd Avenue West and West Howe Street in Seattle.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer

The Seattle area woke up to a break in the snow Tuesday, but many city streets are still slick with packed ice. What are the city and state doing about it?

The Seattle Department of Transportation says it has about 35 trucks out spreading rock salt on city streets.

But spokesperson Ethan Bergerson acknowledges not every road will be plowed or salted.

"There's a lot of roadway in Seattle, so we gotta prioritize," Bergerson said, "the major roads that are used by the buses and that are used by emergency services to get to things like hospitals. So we really focus on keeping those roads clear."

So basically -- your side street is not a priority.

Bergerson said SDOT started spreading salt at noon on Sunday.

"Those workers who are doing that are working 12-hour straight shifts, back-to-back," Bergerson said.

But a lot of drivers have said they were surprised how icy some roads were for their morning commute.

Two commuters told KUOW on Monday that Interstate 5 southbound from Everett was completely covered in snow and ice.

State Department of Transportation spokesperson Lisa Van Cise said in an email they're using about 100 trucks in the area, plowing and spreading hundreds of tons of salt.

Both agencies remind drivers to be extra cautious near those trucks; two were hit Monday.

Why you can trust KUOW