With a La Niña winter approaching, the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that the Puget Sound area will experience a wetter and colder winter than average. And while youngsters will be happy to hear that news, most people who drive will not be so merry.
Clearing roadways for the public to move about falls to local governments and the City of Kirkland is no exception. With the annexation of the Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate neighborhoods, that burden is greater for the city this winter as those areas have some treacherous hills.
“It is going to be more of a challenge,” said City of Kirkland Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Stephanie Day, about the number of steep hills in the new neighborhoods. “We inherited some major roadways that are hilly.”
Streets like Juanita Drive Northeast on Finn Hill will be challenging additions for the city to keep clear as they are not only steep but extremely busy. But Day said the city has a huge advantage over King County’s personnel.
“King County had this small pocket to get to and it took time to get out there,” said Day. “We will deliver faster service because logistically it is easier for us to get there.”
And time is of the essence during a heavy snowfall.
Getting ahead of the accumulations and preparing major thoroughfares in advance is a big part of being successful. One of the ways that city officials are planning ahead is to update their maps of the major roadways that are critical to keep people moving.
“The major roadways are our first priority,” said Day. “We have tiers of priority. We want to make sure that the arterials are uninterrupted, so they are in the first tier.”
The city website has a new emergency weather map that encompasses all of Kirkland.
Some of the first-tier roads include Juanita Drive Northeast, Northeast 85th Street in downtown Kirkland, Lake Washington Boulevard Northeast along the waterfront, 132nd Avenue Northeast along Rose Hill and Kingsgate and 100th Avenue Northeast in Juanita to name just a few.
“Updating all of those maps (since the annexation) means making sure we incorporate all of the roadways that need attention,” said Day.
But communicating with outside agencies is still a high priority.
“Our Public Works Streets Division updates its Snow and Ice Plan annually and shares it with our regional (WSDOT, KC Metro, KC Roads) and utility (PSE, Northshore Water) partners,” said Day. “It includes our lifeline road map, which illustrates what our priority snow-clearing routes are.”
But the city has also beefed up its ability to handle a bad winter season.
“Within the past few years, we have procured additional snow and ice equipment,” said Day. “If the National Weather Service informs us of an impending severe weather event, our PW (Public Works) street staff, automatically moves to 12-hour shifts to provide the best coverage.” The city has seven vehicles that plow snow and/or spread sand.
Other vehicles include a de-icer and ones that can load, blow snow and scrape ice.
She noted citizens can contact the Public Works Department directly if they have a specific concern about a roadway by calling 425-587-3900. That line is monitored 24/7 in a snow event, she added.
Residents can also call the Emergency Information Hotline: 425-587-3767. The city’s website is also a source of information for residents.
City crews will also post electronic (and solar) reader board signs at fire stations and North Kirkland Community Center.
For those who want to get a head start on being prepared there are, “two recent episodes of Currently Kirkland spotlighted emergency preparedness for homeowners, as well as city preparedness,” said Day.
