Finally it’s over.

No, not the election.

I’m talking about the barrage of advertisements that have been thrown at you in the past few months.

Candidates and initiative-pushers came at us on TV, on the radio, in newspapers, through mailers – every way imaginable. Although annoying, none of those advertising assaults was dangerous – except one.

The massive array of election signs planted along sides of roadways do lead to accidents, especially if you actually try to read them.

Blazing along I-5 at 60 mph (when I’m lucky), the signs have been mostly a blur of color.

I counted more than 20 in a cluster on northbound I-5 just before the Broadway exit in Everett. There were more than that – I just couldn’t count them all.

Planting signs alongside a state highway is illegal if they obstruct the vision of a driver or if they are placed in the state’s right-of-way. Rules for most city streets are similar.

Transportation workers have tried to keep political signs out of the right-of-way, but it was hard for them to keep up with the enthusiastic volunteers who were dedicated to placing their candidate’s signs at all the best locations.

The rule of thumb is that some of the signs were legally placed, but most were not.

“We work to respect the right to free speech while assuring rules and laws are followed,” said Emily Christianson, a Department of Transportation spokeswoman. “Improperly placed political signs can create a safety hazard or distract drivers and slow traffic.”

So now that it’s all over, we just have to wait for the candidates to remove their signs, something that can sometimes drag out well past Election Day.

If you see a sign still standing, don’t kick it over. Call the state or local jurisdiction and they’ll have someone remove it, Christianson said. The state’s number is 206-440-4491.

“It is far safer for our workers to remove the signs because they are properly equipped and trained for the task,” she said. “We are also better able to assess whether a sign is legally placed or not, which is sometimes difficult to ascertain.”

I guess this means I won’t be able to live out my fantasy of veering off the road and plowing through the signs like a movie star fleeing from the bad guys.

He’d like to see a map

Question: I am very curious about the revisions being done to 19th Avenue SE around Silver Lake. I don’t remember seeing a map of the rework, and I can’t quite figure out what is being done. Can you shed some light on this project?

I’d like to see a map of the project.

Roy Mosolf, Everett

Answer: We are widening 19th Avenue SE between 132nd Street SE and 112th Street SE. In addition to adding one lane in each direction, crews will add two-way left turn lanes and raised medians throughout the project area. These improvements will increase safety and improve traffic flow between Mill Creek and Everett.

This work is part of a long-term Highway 527 widening project. A map of the project is online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ projects/SR527Widen/ 132ndSE_112thSE.

Marlin Lenssen, state Departmen of Transportation project engineer

Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.

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