Crews with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) salted roads across the city Tuesday, targeting trouble spots to help people avoid a slick evening commute.
Light flurries dusted Queen Anne on Tuesday and residents were excited to see some of the snow sticking to windshields and the ground.
“I’m really glad it’s here," said Julia Mulroy of Queen Anne. "I’m surprised how early it came.”
Some businesses on Queen Anne Avenue started salting sidewalks. One new restaurant, Just Poke, was keeping an eye on conditions to determine their hours with the potential for more snow and cold temperatures.
“If everyone else is going to be open then we try to stay open to keep the area up and running,” founder Daniel Brawer said.
The cold weather made it somewhat of a ghost town Tuesday as residents like Mulroy, who knows conditions can worsen quickly, started preparing for what may come later this week.
“I'm planning to walk to Trader Joe’s, get some provisions, so I don’t have to leave the house for a day or so," Mulroy said. "I parked my car at the top of the hill, so I don’t have to worry about that if it gets snowed in and I have to get somewhere.”
Mulroy said she knows what a mess Queen Anne hill can be from seeing crashes, and cars slipping and sliding in previous years.
Right now, SDOT crews are pre-treating roads and planning ahead. They have a specific snow plow route with public safety in mind that excludes steep areas like Queen Anne hill.
"We can’t get a snow plow up and down them safely," SDOT Spokesperson Ethan Bergerson explained. "We have plow routes that are designed to make it so people who live on the top of those hills can still get to a hospital or other major services safely on the road."
SDOT is urging drivers to avoid any hills that may become snow-covered, while some people plan to avoid the roads in any snowy spot.
“If they’ve got four wheel drive or all wheel drive then go for it but it’s just not something I would try to do,” Mulroy added.
SDOT warns drivers to plan ahead and check the forecast before the morning commute. Their plow route prioritizes public transit, so that is another option for commuters.