McGinn: More street closures, better salt for next big snow

Last updated December 13, 2010 10:01 p.m. PT

Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com

Drivers return to the site of a multiple-car accident on Nov. 23, 2010, on East Boston Street in Seattle's Eastlake neighborhood the morning after snow and ice wreaked havoc on local roads.

Following a late November snowstorm that Mayor Mike McGinn admitted "overwhelmed" the city's response, Seattle will change how it responds to future winter dumps.

Specifically, McGinn said Monday the city would be more aggressive about street closures in problem areas and look to get sand down earlier on roadways - even before significant amounts of snow fell.

Officials are also looking to to change the type of salt solution put on streets, moving away from a sodium-chloride mixture to a magnesium chloride brew that is more effective at lower temperatures, the mayor said. And salt-spreading vehicles would be pre-positioned on known problem areas that tend to freeze up more quickly - like bridges.

Thanks to Seattle's many hills and skittish winter drivers, even light amounts of snow can snarl traffic. And the issue of snow response has been a particularly sensitive one since a December 2008 storm basically shut down the city for several days. A botched city reaction to that blast of winter weather led to many complaints and was a factor in Mayor Greg Nickels' primary election defeat the following year.

McGinn said he can never guarantee a flawless snow response plan.

"I'm not going to say we're going to do it better next time. We're going to do our best," he said. "We have to realize that Mother Nature can throw some hard ones at us."

He noted that last month's storm cost the city's transportation department $452,000.

Other winter weather tactics the city is looking at include:

• Positioning observation cameras on potential trouble spots, like the Alaskan Way Viaduct, so planners can get a sense of real-time developments;
• Physically blocking off routes like the Viaduct and other problem streets, so drivers don't just maneuver around "closed" signs;
• Giving specific guidance to private employers about sending workers home early due to inclement conditions;
• Utilizing some private resources to help city workers;
• Working with King County Metro to coordinate bus route changes.

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