The fresh pavement that drivers cruise on state highways might turn a shade of green this year.
The state is experimenting with a way to use less fuel by switching from “hot mix” asphalt to “warm mix.”
“It uses a lower temperature, so it uses less energy to make the mix,” said Dave Erickson, assistant state construction engineer. That’s supposed to mean fewer greenhouse gases.
The secret ingredient: A wax product called sasobit that goes into the asphalt with the gooey oil that holds the sand and gravel together.
The state will know more after an experiment in July on I-90 near the town of George in Eastern Washington. “Other states have been doing this,” Erickson said. “There are new ideas we’re always looking at, trying to do things less expensive, make things last longer.”
He says to check out warmmixasphalt.com to learn more.
Close calls, fast merges
Question: While crossing the 41st Street I-5 overpass eastbound, is it legal for cars to merge from the far right lane, at the last minute, into the left-turn lanes that flow onto northbound I-5?
When traffic is heavy in the afternoon, I witness multiple close calls involving aggressive drivers who race up in the far right lane, and — at the last minute — change into the left turn lane. I am so upset by the speeds they are traveling and the number of drivers who choose to commit this maneuver, I now drive through downtown to reach my destination.
Also, with safety in mind, is a curb or change in the lanes planned for these left turn lanes? Thank you for checking on this.
Debbie Anderson, Everett
Answer: More work is planned on the road that might make drivers less aggressive, Everett city traffic engineer Dongho Chang said.
“The left turns at the traffic light will be significantly lengthened when the roadway construction is completed,” he said. “The two eastbound left-turn lanes will eventually extend all the way to the Broadway connector road. The additional storage for the left-turn lane will reduce the stacking in the through lane and will help address some of the reasons drivers make the last minute lane changes to cut ahead of others waiting for their turn.”
In the meantime, “drivers in the middle through-lane have the right-of-way and the legal option of selecting either of the two left turn lanes at the traffic light,” Chang said.
Drivers are supposed to plan ahead for the maneuvers they are making, Everett Police Sgt. Robert Goetz said. That means getting in the appropriate lane to make a safe maneuver, he said.
For the drivers who don’t, Everett police might be writing a ticket for $124.
“We weigh it by the totality of the circumstances,” Goetz said. Hard braking, panic braking or veering are signals that someone has made an unsafe lane change nearby, Goetz said.
“If (the lane change) causes the other driver to take evasive action, or if there’s a collision, it’s an unsafe lane change,” he said.
The maneuver also could be seen as illegally passing on the right, Chang said.
As for separating the lanes with concrete, “there are no plans for a curb at this time,” Chang said.
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