8:30 p.m. update: We took a quick drive around Ballard, and 15th Ave. is the best of the bunch, plowed down to the pavement.
There was even a plow de-icing the road in front of us.
But over on 85th Ave., it’s messy, especially in Greenwood. Chains have torn up the ice, creating bumps and deep ruts. At times, cars caught the ruts and drifted dangerously close to each other. Other streets, like Market, 80th and 65th, were also very bumpy in parts, but not as bad as 85th. It’s a “primary route” for SDOT, so it may end up getting plowed and de-iced overnight.
Around the corner on Greenwood Ave., just up from 85th, this Metro bus slid backwards into the curb and got stuck.
Passengers got off the bus and sprinted to another one that passed by without stopping. Such is the life of traveling on Metro Transit these days. “With travel conditions still not stabilized, King County Metro Transit will be offering approximately half of its regular weekday service on Tuesday morning,” explains Metro. Again, check their website for route changes around 4 a.m.
With the temperatures now below freezing again, all the melted snow is turning into ice, promising a very slippery morning commute. “There will be serious icing conditions,” says UW professor Cliff Mass, who has been an excellent source of weather information. “(It) may be a real problem with perhaps more troublesome conditions than (Sunday) morning in some locations.”
