We’re starting off with a Street Smarts success story this week — a reader’s question prompted government to take action.
Warning sign hidden
Janice Moorhead of Mukilteo asks: On Highway 526 as you are coming closer to Mukilteo, there used to be signs letting you know the speed limit would be reduced from 60 mph to 45 and then you clearly saw a 45 mph sign. Now there is no warning sign and the speed limit sign is completely covered by a bush. Can this be fixed? Why was the sign moved so low that it is covered by a bush?
Patrick Conrad of the state Department of Transportation says: Our crews have inspected the sign and agree it needs to be relocated. The sign was placed in its current location as part a repaving project on Highway 526. We hope to move the sign to a more visible location within the next few weeks. In addition to relocating the speed limit sign, we will also install two more signs on westbound Highway 526. We’ll install an advance speed limit sign on the right shoulder and a second speed limit sign in the median. We want to thank the reader for bringing this to our attention. Driver feedback is one of the many tools we use to keep drivers safe on our roads.
Highway noise too loud
Kathy Krankota of Everett, near Lake Stevens, asks: My back yard borders on Highway 9 south of Frontier Village and because of the increased traffic, the noise is unbearable. The noise is so bad, I cannot hear on the phone outside or barely hear the birds sing. I have grown a border of evergreen trees but this has not helped.
Many of the neighborhoods bordering Highway 9 have been in existence since the early ’70s, when noise was not as much of a problem. What about use of “quiet” pavement or noise walls?
State transportation planning specialist Akberet Ghebreghzabiher responds: Within available resources, we strive to provide noise abatement for every neighborhood and always consider how our highways and projects affect the environment and people.
Unfortunately, there is no funded project that would incorporate building noise walls in your area. However, there are future plans to widen your section of Highway 9 over the next 20 years. If and when funding becomes available for this widening project, noise barriers would be considered.
We are still evaluating quieter pavement. We will install a third section of quiet pavement on I-405 in Bellevue this summer. We will study each section for at least five years to gather sufficient data about the pavement’s durability and noise reduction qualities.
E-mail Street Smarts at stsmarts@heraldnet.com.
Learn more
You can learn more about our testing program on our Web site: www.wsdot.wa.gov/ Projects/Quieter Pavement/Default.htm.
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