SULTAN — State transportation leaders on Tuesday urged every driver on U.S. 2 to proceed with caution and pay attention to new safety signs along the narrow, dangerous road.
“Ultimately drivers are responsible” for crashes on the highway, said Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste.
Too many lives already have been lost along the highway, Tom Cock of Woodinville said. His 17-year-old son, Thomas Turner, was killed in a U.S. 2 crossover crash in late December. He was the 47th person to die along the highway since 1999 between Snohomish and Stevens Pass.
“These losses are devastating and life-changing and cannot be continued,” Cock said.
State officials on Tuesday unveiled the new safety signs that they plan to install along U.S. 2, designating the highway as a safety corridor. The highway has become one of the five safety corridors in the state and the only one in Snohomish County. The designation makes federal money available for education, engineering and enforcement efforts on U.S. 2.
The new signs depict a narrow, winding highway running up toward the mountains. They read: “US 2 Drive Safe.”
That’s the message people in the Skykomish Valley and state patrol troopers have tried to convey for years.
State lawmakers recently decided to place six additional troopers at work along U.S. 2.
The sign-unveiling event Tuesday in Sultan drew backers of U.S. 2 improvements and officials, including State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. Also at the event were Sky Valley legislators Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, and Rep. Liz Loomis, D-Snohomish, as well as Rep. Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee.
State lawmakers set aside $14 million for U.S. 2 safety improvements during the 2008 Legislature. About $4 million is planned for installing centerline rumble strips from east of Monroe to Stevens Pass later this year.
“We believe this is going to help with crossover crashes we have in this area,” Hammond said.
State transportation experts will work with local residents to decide how to use the remaining $10 million for the highway, Hammond said.
On Monday, the U.S. 2 Safety Coalition plans to discuss with residents which U.S. 2 safety projects need to be tackled first.
It is locals who have raised awareness about the highway’s safety problems, Clibborn said. She and other lawmakers toured U.S. 2 in the fall and learned about its safety problems.
“We never forgot what we saw when we got here,” Clibborn said. “It started here.”
Pearson said that U.S. 2 is now getting bipartisan support from state lawmakers. The highway needs a lot more money than $14 million to be safe. Overall improvements for U.S. 2 between Snohomish and Stevens Pass are expected to cost about $2 billion.
“We will keep working on Highway 2. It’s not over yet,” Pearson said.
Cock said his family is still reeling from the loss of his son. Since the accident, Cock and his wife, Dawnelle Dutcher, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Aria, on Valentine’s Day.
“Some days are good, some days are bad,” Cock said. “It’s still pretty fresh.”
It’s painful to talk about U.S. 2, Cock said, but it’s how he tries to keep alive his son’s memory.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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