City roads chief gets icy reception

Seattle's top transportation official defended the city's response to December's snowstorms Monday, saying the city kept arterials clear and bridges open despite nearly a foot of snow that fell over two weeks.

City Council members on Monday began their review of the city's response to the snowstorm by grilling Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Director Grace Crunican about her agency's role in bus-service problems and her decision to leave town for Christmas while much of the city was snowbound.

At one point, the questions grew so contentious that Crunican told Councilmember Tom Rasmussen: "I'm not looking for a fight here."

She may get one anyway. Mayor Greg Nickels and members of the City Council face a rising tide of public criticism — from merchants whose pre-Christmas sales suffered because shoppers couldn't reach their stores, commuters whose buses never showed up, and people who felt unsafe because they couldn't reach hospitals.

Returning to work after a holiday break, the council made its first priority a review of the city's storm response. Members plan to come up with an "action plan" by the end of next month to improve responses to future storms.

The council also was briefed Monday by the director of the Department of Emergency Management. Today, council members will speak with human-services and utilities directors, as well as SDOT and Metro Transit officials. The council will accept public comment.

Crunican said some residential streets were too snowy to drive on, but she said she wouldn't recommend the city clear side streets in future storms. There isn't enough equipment, she said.

"It was a big storm," Crunican said. "Please don't lose sight of the fact that it was the biggest storm in 12 to 20 years."

On Christmas Eve, Nickels graded the city's storm response with a "B," and Crunican said Monday she agreed, insisting the city's response was adequate.

"We were busting our tails to keep the snow cleared, and the snow kept falling," she said.

City leaders already have made policy changes for next time. Responding to public criticism, Nickels announced last week the city would start using salt on the roads for the first time in a decade.

Workers spread salt Sunday night when 4 inches of snow fell in some parts of the city. In the past, they've used only sand because of environmental concerns regarding salt.

Crunican promised better communication with King County Metro officials. In some cases last month, Metro buses couldn't get through on their snow routes — streets for which the city is responsible.

Crunican said she was in contact with Metro officials about bus service, but there will be an additional liaison stationed at the city's Charles Street operations center next time as an "additional safety measure."

"It seemed like there wasn't a liaison between SDOT and Metro," said Councilmember Nick Licata. He described a bus trip he took during which passengers were suggesting alternate routes to the driver.

Initially, Crunican said the snow did not cause any bridge closures, but in an interview after the council meeting, she said some bridges were closed for 15 to 50 minutes at a time for drain clearing and, at one point, to remove snow that grew too heavy on the West Seattle Bridge.

But she said there was never a need to declare a state of emergency, and the city never "shut down" during the storm.

"There was plenty of commerce taking place," she said. "It was a 14-day storm and we kept the city functioning during that entire time."

Police who set out on foot because their cars couldn't reach some parts of the city were simply following their emergency procedures. "Police got where they needed to go," she said.

Rasmussen questioned Crunican about being out of town for a couple of days during the storm. She went to Portland to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with her family, but said her deputies were in charge and she was kept in the loop via e-mail and phone calls.

"The leadership was engaged," she said. "No one was doing anything other than paying attention to what was going on."

Asked by a reporter whether being out of town made her appear disconnected, she said: "I don't drive a snowplow."

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com