Thursday’s snowfall kept North Olympic Peninsula law enforcement, road crews and public transit agencies busy overnight as snow began falling in the late afternoon and lasted into the evening.
Traffic backups and delays resulting from the snowfall and blocked travel lanes led to a mutual decision by the State Patrol and the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to close U.S. Highway 101 through Morse Creek at 7:22 p.m. Thursday for about two hours, according to Doug Adamson, assistant communications manager for DOT. All eastbound lanes were blocked. Westbound drivers were guided through the area with a pilot car.
The Washington State Patrol reported 34 collisions between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday, said Trooper Katherine Weatherwax in a Friday morning email, including a three-vehicle collision at U.S. Highway 101 and Kitchen-Dick Road.
Although people were reporting as many as 10 vehicles were involved, Weatherwax wrote that only three vehicles collided with each other, with several others going into the ditch.
Although people were reporting on social media that a Clallam Transit System bus was involved, CTS General Manager Jim Fetzer wrote Friday morning that was not the case.
“There was a car accident at Kitchen-Dick and 101 that occurred in front of one of our buses during the snowstorm (Thursday night). A car crossed the centerline and hit another car head on. A total of four cars were involved in two accidents at this location.
“Our bus was not involved and did not contact any of the vehicles. Our bus steered around the accident and pulled over to check on the drivers involved,” Fetzer said.
Michael T. O’Connor, Peninsula Communications public records officer, wrote in a Friday afternoon email that the 9-1-1 center received 23 vehicle collision reports between noon Thursday and noon Friday, including four from the Port Angeles Police Department.
Clallam Transit issued one rider alert on Thursday, which was for Route 16 Neah Bay. But Jefferson Transit cancelled all service in East Jefferson County at 6 p.m. Thursday through noon Friday due to unsafe road conditions.
Jefferson Transit General Manager Nicole Gauthier wrote in a Friday morning email, “Currently all routes in East Jefferson County are on snow deviations with the exception of the No. 14 Kingston Express which is on its regular schedule.
“Jefferson Transit will continue to monitor road conditions throughout the day and into the evening. Jefferson Transit urges the public to check the website at www.jeffersontransit.com for the most up to date information.”
Thursday’s travel woes weren’t just confined to the area’s streets and roads, though.
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a report about 1:30 p.m. Thursday of a person on a 25-foot catamaran anchored east of the Port of Port Angeles, according to U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Annika Hirschler, Petty Officer Third Class.
“The individual believed his anchor line may snap due to weather conditions and was also experiencing serious seasickness due to the sea state,” she wrote in a Thursday afternoon email.
“The individual activated his (Urgent Marine Information Broadcast) and a helicopter was launched from Port Angeles. The individual was safely hoisted and brought to Air Station Port Angeles. The vessel remains anchored near Green Point,” she wrote.
Road crews
The snow also kept road crews busy.
“It went kinda rough at first. Everybody was saying we weren’t going to get anything and then we got six inches,” said Dale Brownfield, Jefferson County superintendent of roads said Friday morning.
Everybody worked as late into the night as they could, plowing until the snow stopped and then salting priority routes, he said.
They had one person come in at 4 a.m. and the rest at 6 a.m. to continue sanding, Brownfield said.
“The plows won’t touch the ice and it’s frozen so hard the salt won’t melt it. So, we were sanding to provide traction. It’s pretty much a skating rink,” he said.
Brownfield said the West End, Quilcene and Brinnon didn’t get any snow, just the Quimper Peninsula.
“We had a Quilcene crew up helping out,” he said.
Joe Dosini, Clallam County assistant engineer, said Friday morning, “All our crews started at 5:30 a.m. plowing. District One in Sequim and District Two in Port Angeles are having the most fun.”
District Three in Forks was mostly sanding because it missed most of the snow but shared in the low temperatures, such as 14 degrees in Clallam Bay.
In the Sequim area, crews got the main roads plowed and sanded, working until 5:30 p.m., and then were back at 6 a.m. Friday, Donisi said.
Nine plows were out, with every road worker on a plow, he said, adding the other roads, those mot major arterials, still needed work.
“It was the same thing in Port Angeles. We had nine plows, plowing and sanding. Out west we only had four sanders going because they didn’t need as much as the others,” Donisi said.
The crews didn’t work into the night but instead began laying sand at 5:30 a.m.
“That was our approach this year. Historically, we have found that being up all night doesn’t work. It was a good decision this time,” Donisi said.
Mike Healy, Port Angeles Public Works director, said city street crews were kept out at the normal end of the day and then went out to pre-treat.
“They plowed the arterials and then the side streets and got it pretty well under control. I’m pretty proud of the brown hue from the sand,” he said.
“When you get snow and you’re not going to get any measurable temperature for several days, you go with your budget. But we’re still out, continuing to fight this. We’ll pre-treat and plow and spread sand and salt. Then you need traffic to work the salt in and get it working,” he said.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached by email at brian.gawley@peninsuladailynews.com.
