Slick roads, ferry landing repair in Jefferson County

Snowfall was scant Wednesday in East Jefferson County, but the sinking temperature led to slick roads.

As the snow fell, two floating dolphins at the Port Townsend ferry terminal were being repaired after wind gusts of up to 70 mph loosened them on Tuesday morning.

The amount of snow was nowhere near the amount that blanketed the area in late November, the last snowstorm.

But it caused several back-ups on roads from out-of-control vehicles.

The snow began to come down about noon on Wednesday, but even before that, roads were icy in portions of the county.

The Hood Canal Bridge was closed for more than an hour beginning about 8:15 a.m. Wednesday because of two separate vehicle accidents, each involving three vehicles.

No one was hurt in either one, said State Patrol Trooper Brian George, public information officer.

An icy roadway was the cause of both minor wrecks, George said.

No citations were issued in either one.

At about 3:30 p.m., following the snowfall, West Sims Way in Port Townsend was backed-up for about a mile in either direction.

Several vehicles had spun out just within the Port Townsend city limit, said Port Townsend Police Sgt. Ed Green.

The road was cleared in about 30 minutes.

Oak Bay Road near the Inn at Port Hadlock was closed briefly at about 5 p.m., and was later narrowed to a single lane, as a result of a two-vehicle, non-injury collision, according to police reports.

Three cars that were heading southbound on state Highway 20 about one mile south of the intersection of state Highways 20 and 19 were stuck in a ditch at the side of the southbound lane at about 6:45 p.m.

One of the stuck vehicles jutted out into the southbound lane, forcing motorists heading in both directions to squeeze into the northbound lane.

Another vehicle was stuck on the side of the westbound lane on U.S. Highway 101 in Jefferson County just before the Clallam County line at about the same time.

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