SEQUIM — More than a foot of snow fell in Sequim and the Dungeness Valley on Monday, snarling traffic to a crawl as some motorists lost control of their vehicles, ending up stuck in ditches, bumping into curbs or in minor fender benders.
And schools will be closed today in the aftermath.
The entire city road and maintenance crew of 12 was out on the streets Monday night as winds added to the road treachery.
“We’ve had crews out since 5 a.m. [Monday] and will have them out as long as it snows,” said Public Works Director Paul Haines.
“They’re going to be working around the clock until it lets up and we’ve got the roads in good shape.”
The city was using its two sand trucks with plows and Haines said, “If ice builds up we may send our deicer truck out to hit the major intersections.”
One of the sander trucks was out of commission Monday morning when a hydraulic hose broke, but Haines said that was quickly repaired for the duration of the day.
He said U.S. Highway 101 overpasses at Third and Seventh Avenues were problematic Monday, requiring extra snow removal and sanding.
Highway 101 between Sequim and Port Angeles was packed with at least an inch of snow and ice late Monday afternoon, and traffic was slowed to 35 mph or less. Patches of unplowed snow along the sides of the highway created even more dicey conditions for motorists.
Sequim police spokeswoman Officer Maris Turner reported up to 15 snow-related minor traffic collisions, with a few minor injuries such as neck pain.
Turner said city police advise motorists to avoid driving altogether, if possible, until the roads are clear.
The snow intensified during the day, leaving many commercial parking lots unusable and lesser used neighborhood streets buried, with residents pulling out their snow shovels for the first time, attempting to dig out.
“We did recruit our detectives to help us with the calls,” Turner said, with no less than three officers on the road at one time.
Schools close early
With students celebrating schools closing early Monday afternoon — there were reports of cars in the Helen Haller and Sequim High parking lots spinning “doughnuts,” worrying school bus drivers.
Haines said road conditions were not posing an emergency, but nonetheless it was an “urgent circumstance” to keep roads and sidewalks safe.
City crews were shoveling paths Monday and salting a major downtown intersections heavily used by pedestrians.
The Sequim City Council meeting, focusing on annual budget matters, was canceled Monday because of the snowy weather.
The meeting was rescheduled for 6 p.m. next Monday.
The Sequim School Board also canceled its Monday night meeting but has not yet decided when it will reschedule.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
