TACOMA — Many drivers took their chances on Interstate 5 during the snowstorm on Sunday, Dec. 26, only to find the highway covered in ice and snow, as if it hadn’t been plowed or treated.
Drivers shared photos and videos of I-5 covered in so much snow that lanes weren’t clear. Some described the highway conditions on Twitter as “rough” or “a sheet of ice” and questioned if the state had even deployed trucks.
The Washington State Department of Transportation stressed Monday, Dec. 27, that snowplows were out on the most-prioritized road in the state throughout the snowstorm.
The agency blamed staffing shortages and the duration and size of the snowstorm for the state of Interstate 5 on Sunday.
“It’s important to note that this was an unusual weather event for this area — a lot of snow over a large area for an extended amount of time,” Olympic-region WSDOT spokesperson Stefanie Randolph said. “We continued to see steady snow accumulation after Saturday afternoon (Dec. 25), so even if a plow passed a section of highway, snow would likely accumulate immediately after they pass.”
Snow fell across the region for hours Sunday. Temperatures were too low to melt the snow, so crews used salt and other treatments to keep roads passable, WSDOT said.
WSDOT owns about 500 snowplows and trucks that service all state-owned roads in Washington.
Since Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported snowfall along the Puget Sound, the Olympic Peninsula and parts of northeastern Washington. The northern coastline of the Olympic Peninsula saw between 5 and 15 inches of snow, and cities along the Puget Sound saw less than an inch of snow up to 7.6 inches.
The state agency is responsible for clearing all the state-operated highways, like Interstate 90, Interstate 5 and state routes.
“While we work hard to return roads to bare and wet conditions as soon as possible after snowstorms, that is not always immediate, especially during a long-lasting storm that had several bands of snow come through the region along with frigid temperatures,” WSDOT spokesperson Babara LaBoe said.
Trucks laying down salt travel at about 35 mph and cover between 40 and 100 miles of roadway in a shift, Randolph said.
“Crews plowed and treated I-5 in Pierce County and other highways continually after snow began accumulating on Saturday afternoon,” she said. “It may be behind you or ahead of you, but the plows are out there day and night.”
Staffing shortages hurt. Varying levels of snow and ice hit nearly every part of Washington, making it difficult to allocate an already sparse crew with the necessary commercial driving licenses, LaBoe said.
“We have shifted resources as possible during the winter to cover some staffing shortages, but a major statewide event like this weekend would make that difficult in any year,” she said. “And we’re not alone in staffing issues. The nationwide demand for workers with commercial driver licenses means there are more jobs than applicants.”
Other transportation departments have complained of the driver shortage, like Kansas, where officials told news outlets they are short of nearly 40 percent of its snowplow operators.
The agency estimates it is down 177 staff members compared to “normal winter” staffing levels.
“We continue to recruit, and our numbers have improved; in October we were down almost 300 positions compared to a normal winter,” LaBoe said.
The state is “aggressively recruiting” to fill positions, shifting resources and calling in extra staff to cover the deficit.
Emergency services
Unplowed roads, snow and ice impacted emergency response times, East Pierce Fire & Rescue Chief Jon Parkinson said. When responding to a 911 call and roads are impassable, crews have to find alternative routes. Their engines found the major roads to be OK, Parkinson said.
“The side roads are where we see the most challenges as those roadways typically are not plowed or de-iced,” he said in email. “Our most significant challenge will always be private roads with difficult access, a home with a long steep driveway, for instance. Any help from homeowners in maintaining access to their homes is greatly appreciated.”
As of Monday afternoon, most of the main roads were clear in the Puyallup area, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue’s spokesperson Darrin Shaw said. The county and city of Puyallup cleared enough roads for the fire department to respond to emergency calls normally.
During the height of the snowfall on Sunday, firefighters were running skeleton response teams.
“We staffed a 4-wheel drive pickup with two firefighters that are able to go almost anywhere that our engine and medic units cannot during the heavy snowfall last night,” Shaw said. “Officers called them if they needed assistance getting crews up or down a driveway or road.”
Crews are closely monitoring weather conditions.
“Our biggest concern is to remind our community to only go out if it is absolutely necessary, especially at night when the roads appear to be clear but are very icy,” he said in an email. “Overpasses, bridges and shaded spots could remain icy even when most of the roads are clear.
Driving this week
WSDOT asked the public to avoid driving. High traffic can delay treatment and plowing.
“Our crews were out working and continue to work on the roads across the region and across the state, and we ask members of the public who do need to travel during winter storms to prepare for and expect winter conditions, including roadways that remain open but may require slower speeds and longer travel times,” LaBoe said.
If travel is necessary during a long snowstorm, trucks prioritize keeping the far right lane open to traffic.
“So if snow keeps falling we may continue to focus on that lane — and avoid closing a road — and then come back later and plow the other lanes,” LaBoe said.
“Because salt can’t help melt or prevent ice from bonding in extreme temperatures, we do want drivers prepared for winter conditions to continue.”
