The King County Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a Road Services Division plan to remove snow and ice from more county roads this winter.

The Snow and Ice Response Plan allows the county to add 70 miles of snow plow routes to the existing 583 miles of designated snow routes in rural and urban unincorporated areas during very large storms.

The added miles will help make more roads passable, making it easier and safer for more residents to travel to and from major corridors after a major storm. Neighborhoods t

hat will see more snowplows are spread across unincorporated King County, with a focus on areas that are more than 500 feet above sea level.

“Last winter, our crews worked around the clock plowing and de-icing hundreds of miles of roads in unincorporated King County,” said Road Services Director Rick Brater. “It took more than 30 trucks and plows, and 120 highly dedicated employees, to get the job done.

“Even with a great team, we sometimes don’t have enough resources to provide the service we want to provide. This Snow and Ice Plan will help us make better use of our limited resources and provide improved service during a very large storm,” Brater said.

The Road Services Division, part of King County’s Department of Local Services, explored ways to expand snow and ice removal in response to a proviso request included by Councilmember Reagan Dunn in the most recent county budget.

Next steps

Road Services is now advertising the Snow and Ice on-call emergency snow removal contract to potential bidders. As advertised, the contract would give Road Services the ability to call in private crews and snow plows when needed in extreme storm conditions. This supplemental plow support is contingent on securing a contractor by the end of the year.

The plan will be funded through the existing Road Services budget.