A little sand would have made this Benton County road, Powers Avenue N.W., more easily passable.
In many parts of the Albany area, including and especially hilly North Albany, people were stuck in their houses this weekend because the roads were treacherous with a layer of ice on top of hard-packed snow.
A generous sprinkling of road sand would have allowed more residents to get out without risking life, limb or their rigs.
Benton County has published a map on its website showing which county roads have priority for plowing or sanding after winter storms. Maybe some of the high-priority roads around the county got that treatment. (I couldn’t get there to check them out.)
As you can see below, I walked around a little, carefully and with the help of an old broom handle as a walking stick to keep my balance when I slipped:
Paralyzing storms like this, with ice and winds that toppled trees and caused many power failures elsewhere, don’t happen every winter. But they happen often enough and present enough problems to be taken seriously.
Our state and local road authorities had plenty on their plate because of vehicles sliding off the road. Their repeated advice to residents to stay home made sense.
But whatever else road departments in this part of the Willamette Valley learned during this episode of snow and freezing rain, having more sand on hand and spreading it around more widely the next time it would be a good result. (hh)
It really comes down to what the city cares about. Waterfront fiasco? Yes. Citizens? No.
This is the first time since I moved to Scenic Drive in 1963 that there wasn’t at least one trip where the County spread sand/small rock on Scenic, Gibson Hill and Crocker.
I haven’t been out so can’t speak for other than Scenic, but now that Gibson Hill and Crocker are City streets they probably haven’t had any sand either
Has anyone been down the hill and through the round about?
You think it is bad now? Freezing rain coming tomorrow.
The city, or counties, probably don’t have the sand and don’t have the money to pay to spread it if they did. Remember, Albany has to sell naming rights to playground concrete structures to get the dough to finish Monteith Park. They have only run through 21 million dollars of taxpayer money, and are “up a creek without a paddle,” so to speak. So, you are going to have to stay home, North Albanyites, and enjoy your upper crust scenery and elite “addresses.” Oh, and, Hasso, so you are now an expert on climate?…you said we don’t have bad storms every year. That was true in the past, and apparently you have an exclusive take on the future?
” Oh, and, Hasso, so you are now an expert on climate?…you said we don’t have bad storms every year. That was true in the past, and apparently you have an exclusive take on the future?”
OMG! We STILL don’t have bad storms every year.
Apparently you can look into the future but Hasso can’t?
Not EVERYBODY in N. Albany is “wealthy”. Maybe you should drive around there some and actually LOOK!
Cap B I am so sorry that you have such negative view of your community and outlying areas. Please, go happy through your life. You may enjoy your time on this Earth. We are blessed to have another hour.
LOL. No mail on this Monday either hasso! LOL
It’s a holiday…….
sand?since when does albany use sand?i wish it was used all over ny then my cars wouldn’t rust..
You might have overlooked the geographical origin of this Albany, the one that counts on this blog. They don’t use salt here, as I think they do back east.
Cap B should not have to down play his reality to make people feel good about their life. Positivity is not being unrealistically naive. We are not idiots and think that everyone works for a the common goal of bettering our community. Being positive is fully recognizing a situation and doing your utmost to resolving it. Ignoring problems does not solve them or make you a better person for pleading ignorance. Negative people sit on their butts and do not put in any effort into acknowledging the wrongs that they or other people do. If you want Cap B to be more positive do something to improve Albany as a community not just for a few positively selfish city officials.
Thanks, Chis J.
We have had worse storms in the past. In the 1970’s we had below zero weather and about 18 inches of snow. All the hedges and bushes turned black and some died.
I know we have had worse storms in this Albany area in the past. But, we are in a new ballgame now with global climate change. Climate change means more severe storms and more frequent storms and more very hot weather with drought conditions persisting. And drought brings on wildfires because we also have more lightning strikes now. And, we are overpopulated and housing is built too far into forests. and people are too careless. Most of the wildfires are started by man.
I think this storm is one of the worst winter storms the Portland area has ever had.