KING COUNTY, WA — With another round of snow due Wednesday night and Thursday, adding to the existing snow and ice on Puget Sound roads, travel is likely to remain tricky heading into the New Year. As crews across the county and its 39 cities work around the clock to clear and treat area roadways, residents can track which routes offer the best chance for a smooth trip.
King County Road Services maintains a live winter response map for the roads under its jurisdiction, offering drivers a live look at which routes are plowed and sanded, along with how recently the work was completed. The county estimates it plows and treats a combined 583 miles along its designated routes.
Residents can also find live traffic cameras and a map of priority snow routes on the county's website.
Several cities offer similar maps to help residents safely navigate the winter weather:
For the state's freeways and highways, the Washington State Department of Transportation classifies its priority routes using six colors, with purple routes like Interstate 5 given the highest priority.
Local officials continue to recommend against taking unnecessary trips, and Washington State Patrol said its troopers have responded to nearly 280 crashes since Christmas and aided in 865 weather-related incidents.
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