Roads in north county haven’t kept up with growth

I am writing to voice my support for Don Williamson’s Nov. 5 letter to the editor regarding Arlington traffic. As a long-time area resident, I have witnessed the explosion in regional growth over the last few years. Unfortunately, our local infrastructure has not kept pace.

Of specific concern are Highway 530 and 172nd Street (I-5 exits 208 and 206 respectively). Although the speed limit on Highway 530 is 55 mph, I typically find that traffic flows around 40 mph during peak hours. Now the incoming Pilot truck stop will seriously exacerbate these slowdowns at Island Crossing.

Likewise, 172nd Street narrows to one lane between I-5 and Highway 9. Why not widen this road before commercial growth in Smokey Point makes this impractical? An Arlington spokesperson recently said that road improvements are not needed at this time; do city officials even use our roads?

David Thomas

Arlington