Will wild Vancouver weather disrupt games?
Associated Press - December 29, 2008 8:45 PM ET
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - All of the bad weather that has been hitting Washington state recently has also been dumping on British Columbia - stranding thousands of airline passengers, making roads impassable and causing dozens of power failures.
So the question is being asked north of the border: What if this happens during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver?
Officials say they're well aware of that threat, and are taking the current storms as a learning opportunity.
At the Vancouver airport, officials say their planning includes anticipating a large snowstorm at the start or end of the games, when travel will be highest.
The airport has ordered extra snow-clearing equipment and is working with airlines to improve the deicing process.
The city's transit system will have more buses and a new subway line that won't be affected by weather because most of it runs underground.
Car-free lanes on roads to the Olympic venues should also mean less chance of snow-related traffic congestion.
And even though they can't control the weather, officials are taking steps to deal with it better. Weather stations have been installed at each venue and along the highway that connects Vancouver to the Whistler ski area.
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