The in basket: Kerry Truax writes to say, “I drive by the new Lowe’s under construction on Sedgwick Road and Highway 16 in Port Orchard every day and I am amazed how fast this structure is going up. At this point, however, all I’ve seen for entry and exits into the parking lot is just one driveway off of Sedgwick Road. Is this going to be the only way in and out of this place? I see massive traffic problems, if this is the case.
The in basket: Kerry Truax writes to say, “I drive by the new
Lowe’s under construction on Sedgwick Road and Highway 16
in Port Orchard every day and I am amazed how fast this structure
is going up. At this point, however, all I’ve seen
for entry and exits into the parking lot is just one driveway off
of Sedgwick Road. Is this going to be the only way in and out
of this place? I see massive traffic problems, if this is the
case.
The out basket: Maher Abed, public works director for the city of
Port Orchard says, “The writer is correct that there is a single
entry and access point to the new Lowe’s. The proximity of the site
to Highway 16 interchange and the surrounding wetlands prevented
the developer from putting more than one access there.
However,this access will be adequate to provide for the traffic
there as it has two egress lanes to go either direction on
Sedgwick, a new ingress lane and a new traffic signal at the
entrance on Sedgwick Road.
“To minimize back-ups on Sedgwick, the new signal will be
interconnected with the other signals by Highway 16 to ensure
smooth traffic flow in the area. A new right-turn-only lane
was added on Sedgwick Road to allow vehicles to access directly
into Highway 16 easterly.
Which part or parts of our government look at the effect on traffic congestion when retail development crowds around major highway exit and entrance ramps?
In Gig Harbor, permitted development was belatedly recognized as a big problem, with the probable backups extending onto SR-16 itself. With more revenue, they will probably avoid the problem.
Are we headed for a belated recognition that our two SR-16 exit/entrance-ramp intersections that allow access to and from SK will be overwhelmed? More traffic lights and turning traffic near the entrance and exit ramps surely slows the traffic flow.
To keep the highway intersections clear, the traffic needs to clear the area quickly and smoothly. How can that happen if we build commercial and retail developments so close to the intersections?