Monday's snow is wreaking havoc in Pierce County. The conditions have clogged roads with multiple accidents and spinouts, leaving some commuters stranded and affecting public transit operations.
This morning a Pierce County Transit bus carrying 20 people skated down a steep hill at 19th & Jeffererson in Tacoma and ended up on its side. Twelve people were taken to hospitals. The News Tribune reportsnone of those injuries are considered serious.
Pierce Transit is operating on emergency snow routes. A posting on their webiste asks for commuters' patience due to long delays in service and slow traffic on busy highways.
Roads Getting Worse
As of this 12:50 pm posting, both directions of Route 16 between Tacoma and Gig Harbor are clogged due numerous accidents and spin-outs. State transportation leaders are asking drivers to avoid that route.
The situation is similar on Highway 512, with reports of blocking accidents in the Puyallup area.
The News Tribune's Slowdown Lowdown blog listsa number of major road problems, including an 11:30 report of one in Tacoma:
State Route 509 from Portland Avenue to the Puyallup River Bridge is closed.
Meanwhile the Washington State Patrol's Twitter sitereports a trooper's car and DOT worker on foot were hit by a skidding car. The condition of the worker is unknown.
