Chasing water: King County Roads prepares for flood season
A Road Services employee inventories signs in preparation for the upcoming
flood season.
They call it "chasing water." When the heavy rains come, that's when
King County Roads
crews go on patrol looking for blocked storm drains, plugged culverts, or
flooded roadways. Because, if they can get to it while the problem is still
small, they may be able to prevent the kind of damage associated with serious
flooding.
Tony Ledbetter, the Roads Maintenance superintendent, says his crews spent a
good deal of time in October checking supplies and equipment to prepare for
flood season.
"We make sure we've done as much preventative maintenance as possible to clear
drains and culverts," said Ledbetter, "and we check supplies and equipment to
make sure everything is ready to go. Beyond that, there's not much you can do
- you have to wait for the rain to come."
Once the winter rainstorms begin pelting King County, maintenance crews shift
into response mode. During heavy storms, they are split into two-person crews
as soon as they report for duty. Each crew loads up a pick-up truck with "Road
Closed" barricades, sandbags, shovels, and assorted tools. Then, they hit the
road in their assigned geographic area to "chase water."
Ledbetter says the crews will check known trouble spots, where the roads are
low-lying or drainage is poor. Often all it takes is a small pitchfork to
clear leaves away from drains and culverts, and the water is quickly flowing
freely and more serious flooding is avoided.
If the rain remains steady for six to eight hours, staffing is increased both
to patrol problem areas and to respond to flooding reported by residents. The
Road Services Division Maintenance section has four different geographic
divisions, and in a serious storm each division puts together its own unit of
call-takers and dispatchers to triage all the flooding problems.
Ledbetter said the worst thing that can happen in a flood is to have a large
drainage system become plugged. When culverts that convey creeks under roads
are blocked by logs or root balls, it can cause flooding that damages both the
roadway and the property around it. In that case, the crews rely on heavy
equipment and sometimes boats to negotiate the deep water.
"We have to clear those out before the road blows," says Ledbetter.
During this storm season, county residents in unincorporated areas are
encouraged to report flooding and other road problems by calling 206-296-8100
or toll-free at 1-800-KC-ROADS or (1-800-527-6237). The call lines are staffed
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Results from King County Metro Transit's 2003 Rider/Non-Rider
survey show continued high levels of satisfaction with the bus system.
Approximately 94 percent of bus riders who were surveyed are satisfied
with Metro overall. Other highlights include: an increase in
households that had at least one regular Metro rider from 20 percent
in 2002 to 24 percent in 2003; a significant decrease in commuters who
said they usually drive alone to work or school, from 65 percent in
2002 to 59 percent in 2003; and an increase in the number of commuters
who commute by bus, from 17 percent in 2002 to 20 percent in 2003.
Among the non-riders surveyed, the five most-mentioned barriers to
riding were: 1) bus routes near my home don't go where I want to go;
2) having to plan around schedules; 3) the time it takes to travel by
bus; 4) having to transfer between buses, and; 5) there is no bus stop
near my home. However, most (69 percent) of the respondents who rated
at least one barrier as significant said they would likely try the bus
if the barriers did not exist.
The survey involved telephone interviews with 2,412 King County
residents age 16 and older, including riders and non-riders living in
North, South and East King County. It was conducted in late 2003. The
survey is helpful to Metro in planning reliable and convenient service
that meets the changing needs of transit passengers.Top
 They
joined the Metro Transit fleet 18 years ago. "Solid, built like a
tank," is how one longtime vehicle maintenance employee describes the
M.A.N. 40-foot diesel buses that were the workhorse of Metro's fleet
for many years. The last of the M.A.N. buses rolled off the Ryerson
Base lot at the end of last month, heading for the old bus retirement
home.Metro ordered 157 of the M.A.N. buses in 1986 and 1987. They
seated 44 passengers and were highly visible in the Metro fleet with
their brown, yellow and white color scheme. They logged an amazing 83
million miles of service in King County and were reliable coaches that
stayed on the road and didn't require much maintenance, at least until
their final years when parts became hard to come by.
M.A.N. by the way is an acronym for
Maschinenfabrik-Augsburg-Nuernburg, in reference to their German
heritage, and enough of a mouthful to make it easy to understand why
we've always referred to them simply as "M.A.N.s." The M.A.N. buses
are gone, but they won't be forgotten. M.A.N. coach number 3152 will
be added to the historic fleet maintained by the
Metro Employees
Historic Vehicle Association.
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The University of Washington celebrates homecoming this weekend as
the Huskies take on the Arizona Wildcats on the football field
Saturday, Nov. 6 at 12:30 p.m.
Avoid the driving and parking hassles by taking the bus to the game.
Metro's special
Husky Service is the easiest way to get there and back again.Top
 Here is a list of King County Department of Transportation projects that may disrupt traffic and travel in the coming weeks:
Northeast 124th Street, north of Redmond - Work continues
through the end of November on the
Northeast 124th Street project between Willows Road and State
Route 202. Most of the work now is concentrated at the bridge
over the Sammamish River.
South 277th Street, between Auburn and Kent - The Washington State
Department of Transportation will be closing
South 277th Street between midnight and 4 a.m. on both
Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 3 and 4. This closure may also
result in traffic disruptions on State Route 167. King County is
widening the overpass and the Washington State Department of
Transportation is overseeing the construction project. Work
continues through October 2005.
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