SEATTLE — The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is asking drivers to avoid unnecessary travel as crews continue to work clearing city streets and sidewalks of snow.
The second round of snow began falling in areas of western Washington Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. Up to 4 inches could fall in the lowlands by Thursday afternoon, with some areas to the east getting as much as 5 inches
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Mariam Ali with SDOT said crews are working day and night, doing their best to clear city streets and treating roadways to prevent ice.
Earlier this week crews cleared the city's most critical streets for transit and emergency services.
Now, crews are working to clear safety hazards, other busy roadways and clearing sidewalks.
Clearing city sidewalks of the recent snowfall have been a major point of concern for residents. With more than 2,400 miles of sidewalks in Seattle, SDOT notes it's not just the right thing to do to clear them but the law.
"We ask that it's everyone's responsibility to do your part and shovel those sidewalks around your home or business during a snowstorm. This is just the law, it's the right thing to do," said Ali.
SDOT has deployed a dedicated team to shovel sidewalks and stairways that are frequently trafficked throughout the city. The team also assists with reports of hazardous sidewalk conditions.
SDOT asks those wanting to report hazardous sidewalk conditions to contact them by calling (206)-684-ROAD or emailing 684_road@seattle.gov.
Another point of concern for residents includes Seattle's many hilly neighborhoods where some streets have been closed off due to the conditions.
With the recent weather conditions, SDOT has been able to plow some of the streets throughout the city that were too steep to plow during snowfall. Crews are continuing to work to clear other steep streets and ask for patience from residents.
“We just ask people to please continue to obey all road closed signs which are there for everyone’s safety and we’ll try to get there as fast as we can once things are safely okay for us to clear out the snow,” said Ali.