Question: There must be a story here.
Everyday I drive by a construction project on I-5 just north of the 128th Street SW exit in south Everett.
Construction was recently completed on a pedestrian overpass over the freeway. However, it is does not connect to anything on either side of the freeway.
What gives?
Duane Leonard, Seattle
Answer: We are building a bicycle-pedestrian bridge over I-5 and a connecting trail to the Interurban Trail for Snohomish County to improve safety and traffic flow at the 128th Street SW interchange.
Our right-of-way negotiations with nearby developers took longer than expected, which affected our final design for the trail and the construction start date.
Because the federal funding for this project had to be spent this year, the state Department of Transportation and Snohomish County would have lost these dollars if we delayed construction.
To solve this problem, we chose to split the project into two phases.
We decided to build the bridge first because it was the most expensive portion of the project.
We finished the pedestrian bridge in July, and next year we will build the connecting bridge to the Interurban Trail.
We will not open the bridge for use until we finish the connecting trail near the end of 2007.
Meghan Soptich, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation
Stoplight quirks fixed
Question: The stoplight at the major intersection of 172nd Street NE and Smokey Point Boulevard in Smokey Point has a strange quirk.
In the early mornings, if there is no northbound through traffic on Smokey Point Boulevard, the light for southbound goes green only for a very few seconds.
The first car in line can barely get started moving and get into the intersection before the light changes. The second car in line enters the intersection on yellow, and by the time the third car in line gets ready to turn, the light is already red!
Buses don’t have a chance!
When there is both northbound and southbound traffic, the light stays green for an appropriate time. This problem only occurs when there is no northbound through traffic.
The light seems to be timed only off the northbound traffic, which is typically quite heavy in the afternoons. But in the mornings going to work, northbound traffic is very light, often non-existent, with the majority going southbound towards jobs.
This is extremely frustrating if you are maybe the eighth car in line, and it happens two or three times in a row.
Phil Strong, Arlington
Answer: Our technicians examined the signal and discovered a problem with some of the equipment that detects traffic. We have corrected the problem and the signal should be operating normally at this time.
Meghan Soptich, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation
Ask us about traffic
Have a question about traffic or street rules around Snohomish and Island counties? We can help find an answer. E-mail Street Smarts at stsmarts@ heraldnet.com.
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