LaNiña 2011
November 18, 2011 [13]
www.kirklandreporter.com
City gears up for wetterthan-average winter The City of Kirkland is well-equipped to handle this winter’s expected La Niña weather, with seven snow plows, and other vehicles that can spread sand, load and scrape ice. file art
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W
ith a La Niña winter approaching, the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that the Puget Sound area will experience a wetter and colder winter than average. And while youngsters will be happy to hear that news, most people who drive will not be so merry. Clearing roadways for the public to move about falls to local governments and the City of Kirkland is no exception. With the annexation of the Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate neighborhoods, that burden is greater for the city this winter as those areas have some treach-
erous hills. “It is going to be more of a challenge,” said City of Kirkland Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Stephanie Day, about the number of steep hills in the new neighborhoods. “We inherited some major roadways that are hilly.” Streets like Juanita Drive Northeast on Finn Hill will be challenging additions for the city to keep clear as they are not only steep but extremely busy. But Day said the city has a huge advantage over King County’s personnel. “King County had this small pocket to get to and it took time to get out there,” said Day. “We will deliver faster service because logistically it is easier for us to get there.”
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By Matt Phelps mphelps@kirklandreporter.com
And time is of the essence during a heavy snowfall. Getting ahead of the accumulations and preparing major thoroughfares in advance is a big part of being successful. One of the ways that city officials are planning ahead is to update their maps of the major roadways that are critical to keep people moving. “The major roadways are our first priority,” said Day. “We have tiers of priority. We want to make sure that the arterials are uninterrupted, so they are in the first tier.” The city website has a PDF of the new emergency weather map that encompasses all of Kirkland. Some of the first-tier roads include Juanita Drive Northeast, Northeast 85th Street in downtown Kirkland, Lake Washington Boulevard Northeast along the waterfront, 132nd Avenue Northeast along Rose Hill and Kingsgate and 100th [ more winter page 16 ]
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New neighborhoods can expect better snow response this winter, say officials