Sealing pavement cracks is a cheap way to extend the useful life of a road used by many agencies tasked with road upkeep. The filled cracks often appear dark and shiny compared to the surrounding worn pavement.
And that’s where Ralph Quaas, of Everett, noted a problem following recent crack-seal work on Rucker Avenue.
“It fills the cracks, but it shines — or reflects — in the dark when lights from opposing cars hit it, and you can’t see the white stripes of the lanes,” Quaas wrote. “It is very confusing, especially crossing the jog on Rucker at Pacific.
“Either the city needs new striping or needs to put reflectors down at the beginning of a block and along the way,” he said.
New striping and reflectors are on the way — but not for a while, and not necessarily because of the filled cracks.
“The painted traffic lane lines were refreshed during last season and will continue to be refreshed each year until the next pavement overlay, which is anticipated to be in 2020,” traffic engineer Tim Miller said. “At that time, it is our intention to use durable pavement markings that will last the life of the pavement. We will also be adding raised reflector pavement markers in line with the durable markings to enhance line visibility.”
Have a question or topic for Street Smarts? Contact streetsmarts@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3432.
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