VIDEO: Briefing on how city services, Metro, WSDOT are responding to the weather

10:31 AM: Above, hit “play” for the live stream (update: archived video) of Mayor Jenny Durkan and city department leaders (plus Metro and WSDOT) offering updates on how city services are responding to the weather. Here’s a multi-department info roundup sent a short time ago. Toplines to come.

10:55 AM: Transportation officials spoke first. Rodney Maxie of SDOT said they had 70 people out all night and if the next wave of snow warrants it, they have “contractors” they can call in too. He says even if the north end bears the brunt of it as was the case in the previous wave of snow, they will still keep crews here – near the city’s highest elevation in High Point – ready to respond. He also said they have mode-specific teams addressing specifics. Metro’s Terry White said they expect to have all buses on snow routes by this afternoon/evening, and that they will have to pull articulated buses when that happens.

City Light’s Debra Smith reminded everyone to charge device and have batteries on hand, since wind is in the forecast as well as snow. If there are outages, SCL crews work to restore the lines that will get the most people reconnected. SPU’s Jeff Fowler reiterated what was announced earlier and included in our running coverage – some customers will be skipped today (if you are, keep your carts out for potential pickup tomorrow).

11:01 AM: The briefing’s over. We’re substituting a screengrab atop this story where the live video was, and will add the archived video when it’s available.

1:51 PM: That video is now added above.

24 Replies to "VIDEO: Briefing on how city services, Metro, WSDOT are responding to the weather"

  • Laura January 14, 2020 (11:02 am)

    Do you know, or was there further clarification, what time specifically Metro means by afternoon/evening for when they’ll put buses on snow routes? 

    • WSB January 14, 2020 (11:19 am)

      Metro spokesperson says no final decision yet, watch transit alerts…

      • JWinWS January 14, 2020 (12:20 pm)

        All the Rapid Ride buses are articulated. Did they mention any changes to those buses?

  • West Seattle Hipster January 14, 2020 (11:48 am)

    Outstanding job this year by SDOT and WSDOT keeping the roads clear and safe.  Thanks as well to WSB for the continued updates.

  • Jason January 14, 2020 (12:12 pm)

    Is the 50 bus not picking up at Delridge and Gennessee? I dont see anything posted about it online but I’ve been waiting for 20 minutes and it’s not arriving

  • Lina January 14, 2020 (12:41 pm)

    It is definitely coming down in Issaquah highlands at my office (I work for King County Parks), about 5-6 inches up here. Trying to figure out if I want to head out of work and come back to WS before Eastside roads worsen…

    • Paul January 14, 2020 (1:10 pm)

      Lina, I don’t think it’s going to get any better today. Snow is coming down steadily in Pioneer Square now.  

    • sam-c January 14, 2020 (1:22 pm)

      I don’t know what it looks like out there, but I would leave early.  Err on the side of caution and all that jazz.

  • Steph January 14, 2020 (1:10 pm)

    Any word on garbage and recycling pickup?

  • Deb January 14, 2020 (1:39 pm)

    Blue sky and sunshine here in Morgan Junction. Where are my sunglasses???

  • Steve January 14, 2020 (2:04 pm)

    It’s too bad 20th century American leaders built our society around private automobiles so everything grinds to a halt with a little snow. It’s interesting that private automobiles are seen as the epitome of freedom yet we still need the government to build and maintain roads. We can’t even afford to maintain the roads we do have yet we keep building and expanding highways. An empty bus is seen as a waste yet an empty road is seen as freedom. 

    I visited Stockholm a few years ago and it was super snowy and there were so many people walking to where they needed to go and taking the subway. It would be a great thing to see decreased automotive dependency and supremacy in American life. Not needing to own, operate, and maintain an automobile is real freedom if you ask me.

    • Dunno January 14, 2020 (3:29 pm)

      Good for you.  My friend who moved here from Stockholm owns 3 vehicles between he and his wife.  Me, 1.  He likes visiting his son south of Portland, daughter in Vancouver, skiis all over, tennis indoors and out, hikes, among many other activities.   He drives to work.  I’ll have to ask him about your idea of freedom and supremacy in American life.

    • Zark00 January 14, 2020 (4:56 pm)

      Gas is over $6 a gallon in Sweden. Congestion charges to drive a sov into Stockholm proper are very high. Parking rates are about 10x what we pay (depending on how far out of the city you. Yet, with all of that, about 80% of households in Sweden own cars and about 80% of households in Seattle own cars. What you actually observed was a city roughly the same size as Seattle, with half the population. Our roads look pretty empty with 1/2 the cars gone too.

    • Bubbasaurus January 14, 2020 (5:07 pm)

      Our current (and future) system is fine when you want to go to and from downtown. Try going anywhere else and it’s at least 3-4x longer than by car if you can even get there. And where are we building or expanding highways in Seattle? We’re doing everything possible to make things slower and slower, and that would include by bus.

    • NW January 14, 2020 (5:34 pm)

      I find so much freedom in leaving my truck at home and planning and hr and a half longer of a trip to Whidbey Island from West Seattle  for example. We have good transit out here try it sometime I combine transit with bicycle and foldable bikes are an option too. Leave the vehicle at home and board the bus it’s great. Thanks to the commenter on this topic.

  • MyCar January 14, 2020 (3:09 pm)

    Well Steve, some of us like to go places. Can’t get to the ocean, or Lake Chelan, or the San Juan’s for a long weekend, or longer without a car. No transit options willl EVER be available.  Stareing at my phone for entertainment isn’t “freedom” in my book! Might also add that since you or other’s haven’t moved to Sweden it can’t be that wonderfull.

    • Jethro Marx January 14, 2020 (6:47 pm)

      “No one will ever fly a rocket to the moon- that’s as ridiculous as thinking that we could eradicate something like polio.” – some poor unimaginative sucker, long ago

    • KM January 14, 2020 (7:01 pm)

      Decreased automobile dependency (as Steve suggests) will still allow you to go to these places! This isn’t an either/or proposition. That’s what’s great about forwarding thinking transportation policy, nobody is proposing to ban cars AND we can encourage less driving and more mass transit when feasible (which is most places in the region). It’s also extremely expensive to relocate to Europe for many reasons, including our federal income tax structure for US citizens abroad. And for what it’s worth, you absolutely can take the train and the bus to Lake Chelan thanks to Amtrak and Link Transit, and the ferry to the San Juan islands thanks to Washington State Ferries, no cars necessary.

  • Mj January 14, 2020 (5:49 pm)

    Better transit for mundane trips like work, school is needed.  Transit is not effective for recreational trips to the mountains, ocean, or many other activities.  On Sweden the Swedes own cars, and keep them well maintained due to cost, for use for the non mundane type trips

  • M January 14, 2020 (8:10 pm)

    WSB – Thank you for the better view of the ASL interpreter, it really helps

    • WSB January 14, 2020 (8:13 pm)

      I had nothing to do with this one -it was shot by Seattle Channel. It was very thoughtless of us to not keep the interpreter in frame when we shot the one a few days ago and I promise we’ll do better next time we record an event that is interpreted. – TR

  • Me January 14, 2020 (8:19 pm)

    Theres no sound…

    • WSB January 14, 2020 (8:26 pm)

      Yes, there is. Check your volume control and/or the speaker icon on the video window.

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