Drivers ease back onto streets

Spokane began to move again Friday.

City and county plow crews reported significant progress clearing arterials, and even with schools and government offices closed, traffic was steady compared to Thursday, when few went anywhere.

Getting to those main routes, however, remained a significant challenge in most areas.

Side streets were in rough shape in Spokane, Spokane Valley and Spokane County; many functioned only with one lane with deep ruts and lots of ways to get stuck.

Many residents unable to use their cars also were out of luck in catching a bus.

The Spokane Transit Authority opened only six of its 39 routes Friday, up from four Thursday. Friday’s plowing will allow the bus system to open about 14 routes today.

Eisis Eigren, who lives in the Shadle Park area, was one of the lucky ones. She was able to catch a bus three blocks from her house after being stranded at her home Thursday.

“My car was stuck, and I drive an SUV,” she said while waiting at the STA Plaza to catch a ride home.

Eigren, who works as a stylist at a downtown salon, said most of the employees made it to work Friday, and all of her customers made it, too.

Others at the STA Plaza were frustrated by the lack of service. James Stevens questioned why he had to wait an hour to catch a bus up Division Street.

“There’s only four routes,” Stevens said. “What are all the other buses doing?”

STA spokeswoman Molly Myers said the agency was working hard to ensure bus routes are safe and consistently passable. Even on the agency’s limited schedules Thursday, officials struggled to keep buses moving. At one point, at least six buses were stuck at once, Myers said.

“That’s why we are really careful,” Myers said. “You don’t want people stranded.”

Spokane Public Works Director Dave Mandyke asked that residents do the best they can to move their cars off the street before they get plowed in. The city started clearing residential streets Thursday. On Friday they were working in northwestern neighborhoods and some portions of the South Hill – areas chosen because of their hills, Mandyke said.

“We’re hoping to clear things out over the weekend,” he said.

But another storm that could bring up to 8 inches of snow is forecast to arrive sometime tonight or tomorrow morning. That might keep the city’s 36 plows from getting a chance to assist on residential streets. Mandyke said regardless of new snow, most of the 10 contractors and 10 city employees using graders for the city will continue working on side streets.

County spokeswoman Martha Lou Wheatley-Billeter reported in a news release that county crews were expected to start plowing residential streets this weekend. She warned that children should not play in or on snow piles along streets.

“Plow operators cannot see children hidden in deep snow,” she said.

At an afternoon press conference, Spokane Mayor Mary Verner urged residents to continue helping one another dig out as crews work around the clock. She called the city’s efforts “a great success” so far.

The city had main arterials clear and was moving into secondary arterials, she said.

Much of downtown was clear, although some streets had snow berms in the middle where snow had been pushed from either side.

“Do not try to drive across the berm. You will get stuck,” Verner said.

The city has traditionally pushed snow to the middle of downtown streets in an effort to keep parking spaces accessible.

On Friday, public works crews began an effort to remove the berms. Mandyke said 15 dump trucks are being used to haul the snow to the city’s operations complex on Nelson Street in the Chief Garry neighborhood.

That effort brought praise from downtown businesses hoping to salvage the final few shopping days before Christmas.

Marty Dickinson, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, said downtown businesses are encouraged by city efforts to haul off all berms by Sunday. She called the city’s downtown snow removal efforts “outstanding.”

“They should build a really big mountain from the snow and charge people to ski down it,” Dickinson suggested.