‘Road closed’ signs there for a reason

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, January 16, 2007

I work for the Snohomish County Department of Public Works, Traffic Division. I and the five other sign maintenance workers would appreciate it if people would quit taking our road closure signs or knocking them over.

They are put there for a reason. Some people do read them and understand what they mean. I know that most people only know one way to get home, but it would be a good idea if everyone took the time to find different ways. Just in case we have more windstorms and I get called out to close the road that trees have fallen on.

A few think we put these signs up for our health or just to make others’ lives miserable. We put them up for a very good reason. Think about this the next time you take a closure sign or knock one over. Imagine your relatives are making a surprise visit. They drive down a road that was closed due to flooding and someone earlier either took the sign or drove over it. The relatives see some water on the road; it is not closed, so they drive into the water thinking it is only a few inches deep. Well, the road has been washed away. That is why we close roads. Until the water goes down, you just don’t know.

Also, with trees across the road, hanging in the wires, nobody knows when the wire will finally break. It might never break or it might break as you drive under it. So please think twice before you knock over a sign or drive around one. They are put there for a reason. We will get the roads opened up as soon as possible.

Forrest Raven

Camano Island