Question: Now that Cathcart Way has been open for a couple of years, I am wondering why the state has yet to move the Highway 96 designation to this new road?
As it stands today, Highway 96 goes east from I-5 along 128th Street SE, which becomes 132nd Street SE, then turns north along Seattle Hill Road and follows Lowell-Larimer Road before finally connecting to Highway 9.
The Seattle Hill Road portion of Highway 96 is a very curvy stretch of road, and narrow in many places. To me, it makes sense to designate Cathcart Way as Highway 96.
Will Brandt, Lake Stevens
Answer: Cathcart Way was a road project designed, funded and constructed by Snohomish County to support the county’s long-range plan. It was not intended to become a state highway, as state routes and county roads can have competing goals.
Nevertheless, there is a process to change the jurisdiction of a road. The following link provides an overview of that process: www.tib.wa.gov/Urban/RJT.htm.
Jim Bloodgood, traffic engineer, Snohomish County public works
Question: When, oh when, will the work be finished on Getchell Road?
I go from Granite Falls to north Broadway in Everett once a week in the late afternoon. Traffic is just awful.
The Herald has front-page articles about I-5 – how about the Getchell Road project? I’ll be so happy when it’s open again.
Alisan Kacoroski, Granite Falls
Answer: The completion of the project has been delayed several weeks due to defective materials that were delivered from the East Coast and had to be returned. We expect the contractor to be finished with the bridge by the end of September.
Tina Hokanson, Snohomish County Public Works
Question: The turn you mentioned in a recent column (112th Street SE to 19th Avenue SE) doesn’t work properly because of a median barrier that isn’t properly placed.
The raised concrete lane divider is 4 feet off center, or 4 feet east of where it should be. This appears to be the real reason the turn is too tight.
I was forced over the curb and onto the sidewalk at this very spot. Skip striping between the two lanes will help, but the real problem appears to be that the raised lane divider is in the wrong place.
Larry Pendleton, Silver Lake
Answer: The curb in the center area of Highway 527 (19th Avenue SE) north of the 112th Street SE intersection was designed to keep northbound vehicles in the correct location as they travel through the intersection.
There are currently two lanes for vehicles turning left onto 19th Avenue SE from 112th Street SE. By the end of the month, crews will add a “skip stripe” between the two turn lanes to help turning vehicles make the turn without crossing into the other lane.
Meghan Soptich, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation
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