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U.S. 2 safety improvements to come this spring

Rumble strips and new striping are intended to help prevent crossover crashes east of Monroe.

By Yoshiaki Nohara, Herald Writer

A key project aimed at preventing deadly crossover accidents on U.S. 2 is expected to begin in a little more than month, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.

Crews are expected to grind divots into U.S. 2 from east of Monroe to Stevens Pass beginning in May. The $3.9 million project is expected to finish this summer.

Of the 47 people killed on the highway over the last nine years, 16 have died in crossover crashes, according to state accident data.

"It may be effective to wake up sleepy, drowsy drivers and people who don't pay attention to their driving," said Fred Walser, who helps lead the efforts to make the highway safer.

In addition to the rumble strips, crews will restripe the highway's centerline to make it more visible at night and in bad weather, said Dave Lindberg, the transportation department's project engineer.

Rumble strips with the striping will make a 2-foot-wide median on U.S. 2 from east of Monroe to Gold Bar. The median would narrow to 1 foot wide between Gold Bar and Stevens Pass. The highway runs about 40 miles between Monroe and the pass.

The money for the rumble strips is part of the $14 million that the Legislature set aside for U.S. 2 safety improvements this year. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the legislation Tuesday providing the funding

That's less than 1 percent of $2 billion needed to make the entire highway safer between Snohomish and Stevens Pass.

Still it's the first time in years new money has been set aside to improve the highway. Of the total, $10 million will go to safety projects to be determined between Gold Bar and Monroe.

The U.S. 2 Safety Coalition, a grass-roots group of residents, officials and business people in the Skykomish Valley, began a conversation on how to spend the $10 million for the highway.

About 30 people attended a meeting on Monday and seemed to be most concerned about two areas on the highway, Walser said. They said they want safety improvement for the intersection of U.S. 2 and E. Fernbluff Road east of Monroe. They also want to shut down traffic access from Sultan-Startup Road to U.S. 2 and vice versa. Crashes have occurred at the intersection just east of Sultan that has no turn lanes or pockets, Walser said.

"That's the cheapest, easiest remedy to it," he said.

The safety coalition is set to continue a public hearing at its next meeting at 7 p.m. on April 21 at the Monroe public library, Walser said.

U.S. 2 safety problems have gained attention from top state officials including Gregoire, who toured the highway on Sept. 11. Last week, state transportation experts and lawmakers unveiled new safety signs along the highway, marking the highway's designation as a safety corridor. U.S. 2 is among five safety corridors statewide and the only one in Snohomish County, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

The designation makes federal money available for education, engineering and enforcement efforts on the highway.

On Tuesday, the safety commission met for two hours with about 40 residents and elected leaders in Monroe to kick off the U.S. 2 Safety Corridor Project.

The group, which includes representatives from the state transportation department and members of the Safety Coalition, plans to meet monthly for as long as two years to discuss education, enforcement and engineering measures that can improve safety on U.S. 2.

"It engages the public directly. It gets them more involved and down to the grass-roots level to get their take on what the problems are and what the fixes are," Walser said. "After all, it's our highway."

The installation of centerline rumble strips is the first major safety improvement happening on U.S. 2 in years.

Backers for U.S. 2 safety improvements had hoped to get wider rumble strips similar to the ones on Highway 522 in Monroe. Fatal crashes have declined substantially on Highway 522 since the state installed double-row centerline rumble strips on the two-lane road more than a decade ago.

"Width of (U.S. 2) is not wide enough," Lindberg said. "We would've taken too much shoulder space. That space is important for safety, too."



Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.