Washington State Department of Transportation crews were busy Thursday helping keep state roadways open during the winter storm. While the worst of the weather was on the western side of the state, Jeff Adamson with the local DOT office says crews were kept busy here as well. Mainly in the passes. He says in addition to dealing with the snow, plow drivers had to deal with stalled drivers. One of them was a big rig driver who ignored a sign saying semis had to chain up and got into trouble on Blewett Pass. Adamson says the driver ended up blocking a couple of lanes while he tried to figure out how to put on chains for the first time. Adamson says that impacted other drivers because two of the three plow drivers working Blewett Pass were dispatched to help get the big rig unstuck.
Adamson advises drivers to take it slow, leave extra room between vehicles, and know the conditions before you go. You can check out the DOT's website through our website, "www.KPQ.com DOT officials add drivers should use extra caution around snowplows. Stay back 15 car lengths from the snowplow until a safe passing area clearly exists, or until the plow pulls off the road. Also, when approaching an oncoming snowplow, slow down and give it extra room. Two snowplows working on Interstate 90, one near Ellensburg and the other in Spokane, were rear-ended yesterday Thursday, but no injuries were reported.
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