Days of texting at the wheel are over

TXTIN while driving?

Drop your phone, and put your thumbs (and your hands) back on the steering wheel.

That’s where they belong, and starting tomorrow, it’ll be the law.

A law against sending text messages on your phone while driving starts today, and ­IMNSHO (in my not so humble opinion), IAT (it’s about time).

Next is driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone, a ban that comes this summer.

For the record, I made “IAT” up. Or at least it wasn’t on the texting shortcut list I looked at to find cool text messages.

After sifting through a dictionary of text-message shorthand, I realized that most entries were about finding a date, a big no-no while driving.

So, no IOHIS4U (I only have eyes for you), GBH&KB (great big hugs and kisses back) or ­LTLYB (love to love you baby) while driving.

Otherwise, you’ll be sending your texting buddy a CW2CU (can’t wait to see you) from jail, or worse yet, the hospital. JK (just kidding) on jail, but you could get a ticket.

Follow the law and you’ll be my BFF (best friend forever).

EOR! (End of rant.)

Carpool under trestle?

Snohomish County officials want to put a carpool lane under the east end of the U.S. 2 trestle.

Anyone who drives into Everett in the morning knows the trestle is a parking lot. County officials expect traffic to flow a little easier on the trestle itself once ongoing I-5 widening work in Everett finishes this spring, but that just means the traffic jam will start at the east side of the trestle, where three roads merge into one.

By running a carpool lane under the trestle, those who share a vehicle would get to cut to the head of the line, skating past the new chokepoint. They’d get on the trestle at Homeacres Road.

The county has $131 million in new transportation money that the County Council made available for the next six years, so there may be money to do the work, said Steve Thomsen, county public works director.

Stay tuned for more on this novel concept.

Question: Why, with all that money spent to widen I-5 in Everett, isn’t there enough money to smooth out the highway? The rough road is enough to jar your teeth. If this is what we get for our dollar, then we may as well go back to gravel roads. At least (gravel roads) can be regraded every week or so.

Greg Vandeventer, Granite Falls

Answer: Crews are still working on a project to widen I-5 through Everett. More than 170,000 vehicles pass through this section of I-5 every day. To keep traffic moving during construction, crews have shifted traffic onto the existing shoulders to create a safe work zone. Drivers may notice an uneven surface as they travel over those sections of road that are not the standard lanes.

The 40-year-old concrete pavement between Broadway and E. Marine View Drive will not be replaced during this project. However, crews ground the surface in late 2006 to extend the life of the existing pavement and make it smoother with enhanced traction. We plan to complete the entire I-5 Everett improvement project by June 2008.

Patty Michaud, DOT spokeswoman

Pose your query

Have a question about traffic or street rules around Snohomish and Island counties? E-mail stsmarts@heraldnet.com. A Street Smarts blog is at www.heraldnet.com/streetsmarts.