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Roads' video transcripts
Videos
- Winter Weather Preparation - Salt and Sand Explained
- Adopt-A-Road Safety Training
- Preparing for Snow & Ice
Winter Weather Preparation - Salt and Sand Explained video
January 14, 2020
Featuring Jeremey Ferguson, Roads Maintenance Manager
[Jeremy Ferguson speaking while showing samples of different types of salt.] This is a sample of the salt that we use on the roadway. It actually comes in by barge at the Port of Seattle and we use a contract through the State of Washington to purchase our salt. And over here at this next pile, this is a mixture of salt and sand together. When it takes a little while to get through the compact layer of snow and ice on the roadway, we like to mix some sand in there to provide traction for automobiles. And then in those situations where we have a heavy snowpack or a heavy ice accumulation, we use a straight sand mix, and what this does is it doesn't break down the snow and ice on the ground but it does provide traction for our traveling public.
Adopt-A-Road Safety Training video
November 7, 2017
[Music plays.] On behalf of the King County Road Services Division, thank you for volunteering in the Adopt a Road program. The safety of our volunteers is the first priority of the Adopt a Road program. Each year, thousands of bags of litter and all kinds of other debris are picked up alongside King County roads by Adopt Road Volunteers. Thank you for your service to our community.
Your adoption application has been approved and you're ready to get started. So now what? Contact the Adopt-A-Road staff at least two weeks in advance of your desired clean-up date to make sure safety kits are available for your group at a Roads Maintenance shop convenient for you. The Adopt-A-Road Program staff will also provide you with an Active Participant Roster listing the volunteers who have completed an Individual Participant Release Form and are approved to participate in the scheduled clean-up. All volunteers must be at least 18 years old and complete an Individual Participant Release Form and renew the form on an annual basis in order to participate in clean-ups on behalf of the Adopt-A-Road Program. A day or two before your scheduled clean-up, go to the pre-arranged Maintenance Shop and pick up the safety kits reserved for your group.
Equipment. The proper equipment is needed to do the job right. Each safety kit contains supplies for ten volunteers. These supplies include: High Visibility Vests - be sure to wear these vests at all times when you are on a cleanup. Hard Hats - adjust the hard hat to fit your head and wear the hat at all times. Gloves - these do not need to be returned. A First Aid Kit. A Safety Beacon Light. A "Volunteer Litter Crew Ahead" Sign. And of course, Litter Bags. There will also be two Litter Pickup Sticks in each kit for volunteers with limited mobility. Volunteers may want to bring their own pickup tools to augment the supply. It's also important for volunteers to wear appropriate clothing. Sturdy shoes or boots, no sandals or flip-flops please. A long-sleeved shirt, long pants. Light colored clothing also increases your visibility. Other helpful items to bring along include sunglasses, sunscreen, a cell phone, and plenty of water to drink. Avoid over exertsion and over-heating by drinking plenty of water and taking breaks. Clean-up activities should only be performed during daylight hours and when weather is conducive to good visibility. If it's rainy or foggy, do not clean your road. Instead, call the Adopt-A-Road Program staff and reschedule your clean-up. Also avoid peak traffic hours and stay clear of all construction areas.
At the clean-up. It's a good idea for group leaders to drive or walk the route in advance. Note the condition of the road and any spots that need extra clean-up attention or should be avoided by volunteers, like steep embankments, areas with blind curves or narrow shoulders, or places where suspicious or hazardous materials may have been dumped. Before each clean-up, all volunteers must review the Adopt-A-Road Safety Rules, and then must sign the Work Day Release and Clean-up Results Form. Make sure your group leader knows about any allergies or physical limitations you may have. Meet at an offsite location to allow all volunteers to review the safety procedures and sign the Release Form. Once everyone has their safety gear, carpool out to the work site to minimize the number of vehicles on the roadside. Pull vehicles far off the road in a safe, visible area.
Safety. Be seen, be safe. Clean only one side of the road at a time and walk facing oncoming traffic. Place the warning sign facing approaching traffic on the side of the roadway being cleaned. Set the safety beacon on a parked car near the sign to provide an additional warning to motorists. Walk in groups to increase visibility. Never assume a driver sees you. Wear your high visibility vest and hard hat at all times when on a clean-up.
Be careful. Always keep safety in mind. Never enter the roadway to pick-up trash. Be prepared for any unexpected behavior of motorists and don't distract drivers by waving at them or engaging in horseplay. Don't stand or jump on guardrails, drainage pipes or concrete walls. Keep your attention focused on your job and the environment around you. It's important to be able to hear others in your group and approaching traffic, so leave all portable music players at home. And please, no alcoholic beverages before or during your clean-up.
If it's unknown, leave it alone. Don't pick up hazardous materials such as car batteries, petroleum products or other chemicals, heavy or unwieldy objects, dead animals, broken glass, needles and drug paraphernalia, or any unidentifed questionable items. Make a note of their location and report these items to the Adopt-A-Road Program staff. If the materials are an immediate concern, please contact the King County Road Helpline at 206-477-8100. This number is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you find any suspicious items, our primary concern is your safety. Stay away from these items and make sure everyone in your group stays away from them too. Possible hazardous materials include fertilizer, flammable solvents, concentrated herbicides, insecticides, or by-products of amphetamine or other drug laboratories. Items that are suspected of containing hazardous chemicals or human waste shall be left untouched. The Group Coordinator will notify the Adopt-A-Road Program Coordinator of any found public health hazards. Some of these substances may be in containers with identifying labels. Key words to look for on labels are CAUTION, WARNING and DANGER. Other substances may be unknown and transferred to identifiable containers such as milk jugs or bleach bottles.
Use common sense. If in doubt, back away. Do not handle or attempt to move these materials. If you encounter any waste drums or containers that are visibly leaking or open, please call the 24/7 Roads Helpline at 206-477-8100 immediately. Call 911 to report the problem if you believe it is an emergency.
Other tips. Please do not remove political campaign or other signs while performing your clean-up. If you are concerned they are posted illegally in the road right-of-way, contact the Adopt-A-Road staff. Signs that are lying on the ground are considered trash and are okay to remove. Use only the provided King County trash bags. Don't overfill trash bags and be sure no objects are protruding from them. Pile full litter bags in visible areas well off the traveled portion of the road, along the shoulder. Pile other debris that doesn't fit in the trash bags in a visible spot off the roadway. Flag the location of items that are too heavy or bulky to move, like appliances, mattresses or tires, especially if they are not readily visible from the road. This helps road maintenance crews find them and dispose of them properly.
Post clean-up. The Safety Kits must be returned to Roads Maintenance Shop within two business days after the clean-up. There are a number of limited kits that are shared by every group in the county, so please don't keep your kits longer than necessary. After your clean-up, be sure to fill out the Clean Up Results portion of the Work Day Release Form and send it in to the Adopt-A-Road staff. Following your first clean-up, submit a Recognition Sign Request Form so that the Volunteer Recognition Sign for your group can be installed.
Let's review. Plan ahead. Contact the Adopt-A-Road Problem staff at least two weeks in advance to schedule a clean-up. Reserve the correct number of safety kits for your group, and receive the current Active Participant Roster for your group. Remember to think safety first. Watch the weather. Litter clean-up should not be completed when snow, ice or other adverse weather conditions are present. Be seen, be safe. Wear the high visibility vest, hard hat and gloves provided in the Safety Kit. Park off the road and use the warning sign and safety beacon. Be careful. Do not enter the roadway. Clean-up only along your approved route. Work on only one sign of the road at a time and walk facing on-coming traffic. No horseplay, headphones or alcohol. If you find a potentially hazardous container or unknown substance, leave it alone and call the Adopt-A-Road Program staff or the Roads Helpline. We appreciate your hard work. Your contribution as a volunteer makes King County a better place to live. Stay alert, think safety first, and you'll have a successful clean-up. You do make a difference!
Preparing for snow & ice video
December 8, 2016
Featuring Tony Ledbetter, Field Operations Manager, Traffic and Roads Maintenance Section
[Music plays and King County logo is displayed.] My name is Tony Ledbetter, I'm the Field Operations Manager for King County. [Video of de-icer/sander truck in maintenance yard.] We've already been in this cold snap for a few days so we've been out watching the roadways, we been watching weather reports, we've been putting anti-icer on the roadway and also sanding and salting some of those spots where anti-icer won't work. What this does is buy us some time head of the snow falling, so until it's diluted enough, it will actually prohibit the forming of ice on the roadway. What we want to do with the salt is have it hit the roadway where it forms little pockets and that allows the grit of the sand that we mix with it to actually stay on the roadway, because sand itself, it's frozen, it hits the frozen roadway and it acts like marbles. So what salt does, it's just like when you were a kid putting salt on an ice cube, it cuts its way in a little bit, makes a little pocket, and helps put some grit on that roadway so cards don't slip as much. [Music fades - end.]