Heavy snows leave roads, services in disarray

Published 6:16 pm Wednesday, December 24, 2008

With severe weather comes closures and tough times on the roads.

Kitsap County and city of Bremerton government operations were closed Monday and delayed Tuesday due to the massive amount of snow that hit the region. Local schools also were closed.

More than 10 inches of snow blanketed Kitsap County, with some areas receiving more than a foot of the white stuff last weekend, making some local highways and byways impassable.

From Dec. 18 to 23, Washington State Patrol (WSP) responded to 113 collisions, none of which involved serious injuries, according to WSP Trooper Krista Hedstrom.

“A lot were just spinouts,” she said.

Hedstrom said WSP is fully staffed and troopers have been on call if needed to provide extra support on the roadways.

“Our troopers were able to get out there and get people on their way,” Hedstrom said.

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) responded to numerous collisions throughout the snowy, icy weather as well.

“There’s been numerous collisions — nothing of any great magnitude,” said KCSO Deputy Scott Wilson, spokesman for the department. “Countywide, there’s been fender benders galore.”

Wilson said vehicles sliding into other vehicles and non-moving objects, such as mailboxes and curbs, was the biggest issue on the roads.

Wilson said there was no down time for deputies who were busy running from one ice-induced collision to another.

“They’re just going from one 911 call to another,” Wilson said.