By Cathy Logg
Herald Writer
Traffic on Highway 529 between Marysville and Everett has continued moving since the beginning of the construction project that shut down the southbound Steamboat Slough bridge early this month. It’s just that sometimes it’s moving too fast or in the wrong direction.
For the most part, motorists are adapting to detour routes, slower traffic and the presence of numerous Washington State Patrol troopers and state Department of Transportation personnel. Still, some drivers are ignoring detour signs and trying to drive on closed roads. And some have gotten mouthy with transportation workers flagging traffic late at night.
As a result, a trooper now is stationed each night just south of Marysville beneath I-5, where motorists encounter a roadblock and are turned back to follow the detour route.
"We have workers out there; sometimes they’re out there late at night on their own, and sometimes people want to make comments," said Victoria Tobin, a Transportation Department spokeswoman.
"We’re out there because we’re trying to rehabilitate the bridge and make it better, to fix the roads and make them safer. People need to be patient and listen to the flagger. The flagger isn’t out there to inconvenience them."
Having a trooperon hand with a marked patrol car and flashing emergency lights has helped catch many speeders, as well as intoxicated drivers and a handful of drivers who have ignored flaggers, signs and warnings and driven around the detour, heading south against northbound traffic. Most of them quickly realized their error and pulled off the road.
One night last week, one hapless motorist hesitated and then drove around the flagger, the trooper, a row of bright orange plastic cones blocking the road, and passed four large signs that said "wrong way" and "do not enter." The flagger and trooper began chasing the car and yelling, but the driver continued south. The trooper jumped in his cruiser and sped after the car, stopping it at a curve just north of the Steamboat Slough bridge. Moments after the car and the cruiser pulled off the road, several northbound vehicles passed by.
The driver, a man about 20, had not been drinking, but wasn’t paying attention, the trooper said. He was so shaken after being stopped that his passenger had to take over the driving.
The man will receive an $86 ticket in the mail — but the ticket may be doubled by the court. State law doubles traffic fines in work zones where workers are present.
Two major reasons for work-zone crashes are speeding and inattentive driving, Tobin said. Ignoring the signs often goes with the inattention.
"Motorists need to slow down to the posted speed limit and be courteous," she said. "Motorists are at a big risk also."
Drivers are accustomed to driving 50 mph on the highway, but during the construction the speed limit all the way across the bridges from Marysville to Everett has been reduced to 35 mph. Even if a trooper doesn’t catch a motorist on radar at an exact speed, a driver still can be charged with driving too fast for conditions.
Any time drivers see flaggers or traffic cones, they need to be particularly alert, Tobin said.
"Summer is a big construction time, and people need to slow down, be patient, pay closer attention and not get angry," she said. "This 529 is a long closure. People should be getting used to some of the closures and the times. People who don’t travel a lot need to be very attentive."
Since April 9, tow trucks have assisted about 192 motorists, mostly fixing flats, giving jump starts and giving gas to drivers whose tanks have run dry. They’ve also responded to fender benders, Tobin said.
"Our incident response road rangers have helped them out quite a bit," she said. "Most people are very appreciative and thankful for the service. It’s like, ‘This is the best thing since sliced bread.’ "
You can call Herald Writer Cathy Logg at 425-339-3437
or send e-mail to logg@heraldnet.com.
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