Baker Drive includes an odd little U-shaped access street that runs mostly parallel to Mukilteo Boulevard, the main drag through Everett’s Boulevard Bluffs neighborhood.
It can be hard for those who live off the drive to give first-time visitors directions, said Chuck Newcombe, who lives in the area.
“I use the white rock as a landmark,” Newcombe said.
Thankfully that giant boulder didn’t budge during a recent street sign mix-up.
Signs at the intersection earlier this month were twisted so Mukilteo Boulevard seemed to suddenly turn into Baker Drive. Newcombe wrote in wondering if it was on purpose.
Turns out a contractor hired by Everett to install new stop signs and street signs in the area had accidentally oriented the new signs incorrectly, said Kathleen Baxter, a spokeswoman for the city’s public works department.
Most of the stop signs in the city — 1,800 in all — are being upgraded to versions that are more reflective and offer better visibility at nighttime. The new posts also meet modern breakaway standards.
“Stop signs are the most often struck sign on city of Everett streets,” and signs are a leading factor in injury crashes involving fixed objects, Baxter said.
As part of the project, the city also is having the contractor replace 1,700 street name signs to increase the text size and replace signs that are no longer reflective.
The annual maintenance project, being carried out by Marysville’s Trinity Contractors, was approved in February 2017 for $653,910. Funding comes from federal Highway Safety Improvement grants.
“We appreciate the help from the public in identifying installation errors,” Baxter said.
If you’ve spotted one, call 425-257-8810 and ask to speak with a traffic engineer.
Have a question or topic for Street Smarts? Email streetsmarts@heraldnet.com.
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