EDITOR’S NOTE: Here is the latest report from Pierce County Road Operations Division Manager Bruce Wagner on road conditions during today’s snow storm.
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Crews are making steady headway and most primary arterials are plowed
and sanded. Crews will work non-stop to make roads as safe as possible
and to prepare for Monday mornings commute period.
Road Operations crews worked non-stop throughout the weekend. Overnight Friday and Saturday efforts were focused on removing the snow remaining from Thursday’s storm and preparing plans and resources for the potential disaster-level conditions that were forecast at that time.
Personnel from Surface Water Management, Parks Department, Traffic Signs and Signals and Waste Water collections were briefed and provided chainsaw safety training. Plans were prepared to use these people to bolster the efforts of Road Operations in the event that the County’s roads were simultaneously affected by wind damage and heavy snowfall.
Thankfully the wind did not manifest to the degree that was forecast.
Crews have been working extended AM/PM shifts for 10 consecutive days
performing very demanding and dangerous work. Our snow and ice response plans are sized and based to provide a high level of service for the average winter storm that affects us. The normal duration of snow and ice storm in Pierce County is one to five days. This event has affected our roads for nearly twice that long and current forecasts indicate these conditions are likely to continue intermittently for the next seven days or more.
Our goal for snow and ice response is to provide the highest level of
service possible with available resources. For the average 1 – 5 day
snow event, we are able to produce a very high level of service with our excellent personnel and equipment, and we are proud of our performance history in this area. Under normal circumstances we are able to ramp up all resources and ‘sprint’ to the end of the storm working extended shifts that include no days off for crews. Because of the unusually long and continued duration of this event, we must reduce our level of service in order to provide our employees sufficient rest in the interest of safety and health.
Crews will remain on AM/PM shifts until the snow accumulations from
this event are cleared. Crews will then be ramped into sustainable
shifts that will provide around the clock coverage to meet the needs of intermittent snow events, but will return the majority of personnel to a modified day shift to support the normal business of maintaining Pierce Countys roads (pothole patching, garbage removal, shoulder grading, brush control etc) which have been temporarily postponed and can’t be reasonably conducted during the hours of darkness. If snow and ice conditions become severe and widespread, shifts will again be expanded as needs dictate.
As long as these unseasonable conditions continue, we will keep an
appropriate contingent of employees on swing and night shifts in order
to keep roads safe while avoiding continually disrupting the sleep
patterns of our employees.
We currently have enough sand and salt support two days of around the
clock snow and ice response. Re-supply orders have been place and our
vendors have sufficient stockpiles to meet our needs for the interim.
The immediate concern is that snow and ice conditions could slow and
limit re-supply operations over the next couple of days.
