The in basket: Lloyd Wisniewski e-mailed last August to say, “A few weeks ago there was an item in your column about why DOT wouldn’t put up a road sign for the Hood Canal Bridge, which had something to do with the bridge not being a ‘destination’. Why, then, as you pass through Gorst is there a big sign about the new Tacoma Narrows Toll Bridge? ”
The in basket: Lloyd Wisniewski e-mailed last August to say,
“A few weeks ago there was an item in your column about why DOT
wouldn’t put up a road sign for the Hood Canal Bridge, which had
something to do with the bridge not being a ‘destination’. Why,
then, as you pass through Gorst is there a big sign about the new
Tacoma Narrows Toll Bridge? ”
The out basket: Limitations on what is and isn’t permissible on
highway signs can be pretty esoteric and follow the dictates of the
Manual of Uniform Traffic Control devices, put out by a federal
agency.
I don’t know if the reason for the toll bridge’s mention in Gorst
is covered in the manual, but there’s nothing esoteric about it.
Drivers need to be told that they need the price of a toll to get
to Tacoma via Highway 16. “This gives them the option to drive
around if they prefer to do so,” notes Olympic Region traffic
engineer Steve Bennett, and Gorst is where one can take the longer,
free route.
