Icy and snowy road conditions caused closures throughout Renton this week.

Renton School District closed all schools on Tuesday, Feb. 4, and Wednesday, Feb. 5, due to “extreme icy road conditions.” The closure came after the district implemented a two-hour late start on Monday.

Kent schools were closed for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Because of the Wednesday early release schedule, district officials said they were unable to implement a two-hour late start as it would conflict with the transportation system and the need to run buses on multiple routes for both elementary and secondary schools.

Renton School District spokesperson Randy Matheson said the decision to close or delay opening schools can be tricky.

“Deciding about weather-related school delays or closures is always difficult because so many different situations must be considered,” Matheson said. “We take the decision-making process very seriously. Student and staff safety is always our number one priority.”

Matheson said their staff begins evaluating road conditions across the district at 3:30 a.m. by driving the district’s most challenging areas. They then compare notes with transportation staff from neighboring districts and municipalities to assess conditions outside the area. They also look at forecasts to determine whether conditions are improving or worsening.

When making the decision whether to cancel school, Matheson said the district considers whether the buildings have power and heat, the condition of the parking lots on the sites, the road conditions, and if the air temperature is too cold for students to safely walk to school.

The superintendent makes the final decision once all the information is collected, Matheson said.

The city of Renton said in a Facebook post that their crews had been clearing Monday night’s snowfall since 2 a.m. Tuesday morning. The early morning snow on Wednesday also required an early response from the crews. The city said the crews are focused on the main arterials and multi-lane roads first before they move to secondaries and bus routes. They cautioned the crews might not reach the neighborhoods until the early evening. The city also cautioned people to drive carefully if they must drive because the freezing temperatures created “black ice” (a transparent coating of ice on the road) throughout the city.

“We have one of the best snow clearance rates in the region,” Renton spokesperson Laura Pettitt said. “Our public works crew has been out overnight clearing streets, and we’re very grateful for them.”

Pettitt said within the public works, there is a control room showing the location of each plow to ensure efficient removal routes. The public works crew has three deicer trucks, two with plows, and nine sander truck plows. Pettitt said the trucks have been deicing throughout the entire last week of freezing temperatures. She said the night operator patrolled throughout the evening Tuesday to make sure the roads were safe from freezing.

“Deicing solution does not work as well for prevention on wet roads, so much of the work cannot be done in advance,” Pettitt said. “This past Saturday, crews applied around 1,700 gallons of deicing solution in drier areas as a preventative measure, and crews have been operational through the nights, trading off for day shifts. Sunday morning, crews used another 750 gallons of deicer and 20 tons of salt in areas that were freezing during the day, and night crews then came back in and applied another 1,800 gal of deicer and 60 tons of salt.”

Pettitt said the city’s crews go through all of the snow ops equipment to make sure everything is ready, and they are ready to come in at a moment’s notice and stagger coverage around the clock.

The city urged residents to use Renton Responds to report abandoned cars and snow- and ice-related issues. They also ask people not to abandon stuck vehicles on the road because they will block snowplows. Instead, if drivers become stuck, they are asked to call a tow company to move the vehicle.

On Sunday, Feb. 2, traffic between the Landing and the Renton Highlands on Northeast Sunset Boulevard was heavily effected by snow and ice. Photo by Harper Williams and Chris Williams.

Hazen High School sophomore Harper Williams enjoys a snow day with her dad during this week’s icy and snowy weather. Photo courtesy of Chris Williams.

Renton’s Harper Williams and her father Chris Williams ventured to Middle Fork Road near North Bend to take full advantage of the snow day. Photo courtesy of Chris Williams.