ROADS UPDATE: Crews Making Good Progress, but Freezing Temperatures Loom

Road crews appear to be making good progress on clearing roads of , but the threats of freezing temperatures and urban flooding will loom in the coming days.

In University Place, workers have focused on theand are likely to work through the night on some less-traveled streets.

But according to Public Works Director Gary Cooper, the region's freezing overnight temperatures will turn many roads into sheets of ice.

"We have noticed that some drivers consider the past 36 hours of driving experience in the snow has made them “experts,” and the speeds have increased noticeably, even to the point of passing the snow plows on Grandview and on Sunset Drive," he wrote in an e-mail to UP officials. "Please help pass the word, while there are bare pavement in places, it is still very slick and many ice patches."

Cooper added that the city will be bracing for urban flooding once the snow melts, and crews will try to keep drains clear of ice.

University Place isn't the only spot in the South Sound where .

Alex Richards, spokesman for Pierce County Emergency Management, said afternoon temperatures today were slightly higher than expected, which helped crews catch up on snowy roadwork.

But the biggest threat to tomorrow's commute could be, like in University Place, freezing temperatures and slick roads.

"The latest forecast predicts that temperatures will drop slightly below freezing between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., posing a chance of re-freeze during the morning commute," Richards wrote. "We’ll re-assign some resources on to the higher volume collector/residential roads this evening to remove the heaviest volumes of snow, and at midnight we’ll turn focus back to the primary roads. We plan to aggressively apply de-icing products ahead of the morning commute."

Pierce County also issued the following warning about downed power lines:

As the snowfall begins to subside, Pierce County Emergency Management cautions that downed power lines and trees leaning on power lines may pose a significant danger to people. By taking some simple precautions residents can avoid the dangers of downed power lines and trees.

If residents come across a downed power line they are encouraged to:

• Stay at least 30 feet in all directions from downed power lines and expect that they are live.
• Never try to move or touch them.
• Never walk under downed power lines.
• Avoid trees and branches in contact with power lines.
• Never drive over downed power lines.
• If you must exit your vehicle because of fire or other safety reasons, try to jump completely clear, making sure that you do not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Land with both feet together and shuffle away in small steps to minimize the path of electric current and avoid electrical shock.
• Residents should also be aware that heavy amounts of snow resting on roofs and tree limbs could be potentially dangerous.