Beth Vavrousek of Marysville writes: With the new Marysville-Getchell campus now open, I am very concerned about young drivers and the increased traffic flow on Highway 9 between 108th Street NE and Getchell.
The intersection of 108th and Highway 9 has long been the site of tragic accidents, the most recent being the drunk driver who flew through the stop sign and killed four people. Other accidents have been caused by people making turns at the intersection.
Although the Marysville School District and Snohomish County have worked together to create the access off of 67th, there still is significant impact on 108th, down Highway 9, and to the new high school.
Is there any possibility of installing a traffic light at the intersection of Highway 9 and 108th? I foresee that there will be problems otherwise.
Bronlea Mishler, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, responds: Our traffic engineers recently reviewed intersections across the state – including Highway 9 at 108th – to look for ways to improve safety.
We recommended that a roundabout be installed at the intersection to help reduce the risk of collisions and improve safety for turning drivers. This project is on a list that’s being considered by the Legislature. We won’t know until the end of the legislative session (currently scheduled for April 24) if we will get funding for design and construction of the project.
Larry Ammons of Lake Stevens writes: heading northbound on Highway 9 traffic seems to flow fairly well most mornings until you get to the intersection with 176th St SE.
I understand that as the highway is reduced from two lanes to one that this is a pinch point and there are going to be issues. However, it seems to me that if they put a curb in that forced the merge to happen at the end of the merge lane instead of immediately at the intersection, traffic would flow a whole lot better.
The problem as I see it is that some people try to merge immediately clogging the intersection while some go to the end of the lane and those that merged right away don’t want to let the mergers in at the end. I believe a little 6” curb that makes everyone go to the end of the merge lane farther away from the intersection will dramatically increase flow for all.
Mishler of the transportation department responds:
We understand that traffic at Highway 9 and 176th can get congested as two lanes merge into one – especially during the busy morning commute.
Fortunately, there’s good news: We are a couple of months away from starting a major project to build additional lanes in the four-mile section of Highway 9 between Clearview and Maltby.
When the project is complete, drivers will have two lanes in each direction between 212th Street SE and 176th Street SE, which should help reduce congestion and delay. You can find more information on our project website: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR9/212thse_176thse/default.htm
Look for updates on our Street Smarts blog at www.heraldnet.com/streetsmarts.
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.
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