Seattle has more hills than most cities, increasing motorists' difficulties and requiring special attention from the City. Seattle has a number of convergence zones, which result in widely varying weather conditions throughout the City. It is not uncommon to have a significant amount of snow accumulation in one part of the City while only a few miles away there is no snow at all. Training for Truck Drivers and Equipment Operators is held every fall during September or October. A network of major arterial streets has been selected as first priority for sand and plowing.
Crews use snowplows when snow begins to accumulate on the street surface.
These trucks patrol known trouble spots when freezing temperatures are predicted - primarily bridges and viaducts which often reach freezing temperatures before other roadway surfaces. This liquid is used to pre-treat roadways to prevent ice from forming and to keep snow from bonding to the roadway surface. This product is sprayed on sand as the sand is distributed from the sander to the roadway surface. Using this product allows the sand to seat into the snow or ice and keeps the sand on the road reducing the amount of sand needed to be effective. CMA can also be used in our de-icing efforts.