News brief: If and when the snow falls, be ready

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The city of Centralia wants residents to know it will make every effort to keep streets passable when the snow comes, but its first priorities are not the residential neighborhoods.

2014.1113.snowflakeCentralia, with over 82 miles of roads, has devised a priority plan for the removal of ice and snow from its streets, according to street official Kim Ashmore.

Priority is given to the viaducts, bridges, roadways leading to the hospital, major hillside roads and signaled intersections, according to Ashmore. Sanding and snow plowing in other parts of the city will be conducted as needed as conditions warrant, and depending upon the availability of manpower and equipment, Ashmore states in a news release.

He suggests residents can do their part to help when it snows by avoiding driving unless they have to and by driving slowly when they go out.

Ashmore also cautions motorists to give snow plows and sanders plenty of room to operate.

The Washington State Patrol offers the following advice for safely navigating the roadways with the onset of freezing temperatures and the possibility of snow:

• Please remember to clear off all your windows of frost or snow before you drive.

• A good set of wipers, properly inflated winter tires and patience is needed to safely operate a vehicle during hazardous winter driving conditions.

• Remember to slow down, increase your following distance and give yourself additional time to get to your destination.

• Be prepared for potential long delays if you travel mountain passes by packing in your car a scraper, shovel, jumper cables or jump pack, tow chain/rope, and traction devices. It’s also important to have proper boots and clothing for the cold conditions.

• Consider checking out the road and weather conditions at WSDOT’s website www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by calling 1-800-695-ROAD before you travel.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 13th, 2014 at 3:13 pm and is filed under News briefs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “News brief: If and when the snow falls, be ready”

  1. Micah says:
    Friday, November 14, 2014 at 8:08 am

    Sharyn,
    Thank you for continuing to post this type of “news”. I appreciate the weather warnings and what the local government is doing to prepare. You’ve even done more than just repeating the news briefs. Hopefully these news stories will encourage more than a few to consider the conditions before heading out, or even heading home.
    Thank you!