For King County Department of Transportation crews, it was yet another busy weather week. Approximately 4.5 inches of precipitation, in the form of a combination of rain and snow, fell between 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17 and 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19. Just as that storm moved out, a cold front moved in toward the end of the week bringing icy roads and snowy streets, keeping crews busy into the weekend.

Early in the week, falling leaves seem to have been the worst problem. No matter how much work was done preparing for heavy rains, the wind brought down many leaves plugging storm drains in many parts of the county. Saturated soil and rising river levels on the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers caused additional problems. At the height of last week’s first storm, 16 roads in unincorporated King County were closed due to flooding or downed trees.

The flooding was compounded by the surprise snowfall that began at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. So, in addition to responding to flooding conditions, Roads maintenance crews were also plowing snow. The north and east sides of the county received the most snow, with other areas receiving a light dusting. The saturated soils and the weight of the wet snowfall caused trees to topple and limbs to break.

On Wednesday alone, Roads maintenance headquarters in Renton received 15 service requests for downed trees and limbs and almost a 100 calls about water over the roadway and other flooding conditions. The following day, there were another 70 weather-related calls. These numbers represent only those requests received at Renton; many residents call the regional maintenance divisions directly to report problems on county roadways.

Due to the predicted low temperatures into the weekend, maintenance divisions mobilized staff in around-the-clock shifts, with plenty of anti-icing and snow plowing equipment on hand. In addition, crews began the process of assessing any damage caused by the heavy rainfall.

Over at Metro Transit, staff went into a Stage 1 alert on Thursday as snow and ice pushed its way into the lowlands of King County. When Stage 1 alerts are declared, vehicle maintenance staff closely monitor weather conditions, go over Metro’s inventory of road chains and prepare for a quick response if the snow begins to stick.

"It is this kind of preparedness that really helps us when winter storms hit," said Harold Taniguchi, director of KCDOT. "Our crews begin planning for adverse weather during the summer, so that we are at the ultimate stages of readiness when something happens."

Taniguchi urges all county residents to make their own personal preparations for winter weather, particularly when it involves hitting the road.

"Whether you drive a car or commute by bus, take a few minutes now to plan ahead for the next storm," he said.

The most noticeable difference between the 100 new buses and Metro’s other, high-floor buses is that there are no stairs. This makes it easier and faster for people to get on and off – particularly for seniors and people with disabilities. A simple fold-out mobility ramp is used for wheelchair boarding.

And, even though it’s not needed at this time of year, Metro passengers will be happy to know these are the first buses in the fleet to come with air conditioning.

The new low-floor buses won’t operate on every Metro route. They are scheduled for about 20 routes that historically have had the most use of the wheelchair lift. Some of these routes will be using both low-floor buses and traditional-lift buses, depending on availability.

A reduced weekday schedule will be in effect on the Friday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28. Reduced service will include the cancellation of the following routes: 45, 46, 76, 77, 79, 133, 167, 197, 202, 205, 272, 277, 304, 308, 311, 373. The bus tunnel will be open.

On Friday, in addition to the routes that are being cancelled, selected trips on routes 65, 67, 271, 372 and Sound Transit 540 will not operate due to the University of Washington not being in session that day.

All Metro customer service offices will also be closed on Thanksgiving.