Road Warrior

The in basket: Gwen Duzenski writes, “I travel north on Highway 3 every day and lately the large information sign just has a message about tuning to 530 on the radio for bridge information.  I can’t get any information on 530 AM on the radio and I wonder what is going on.” All she gets on that frequency on her 2003 Subaru’s radio at that location is static, she said.
The big sign was blank over the weekend but the referral to 530 AM returned Monday, when she had no better luck on that frequency, she said.
She’d like to see it return to how it was, “so it will let us know when the Hood Canal bridge is open for marine traffic like it did before,” Gwen said.
The out basket: Lisa Murdock of the state highway’s Olympic Region said a state technician tested that HAR (for Highway Advisory Radio) transmission Monday and found it to be working properly. “He increased the power by two watts to see if that helps,” she said, “but it could be a matter on the receiving end.”
The HAR broadcasts cover only a limited area and
“depending on the location of the vehicle tuning in, as well as the quality of the
vehicle’s AM reception, at times highway advisory radio messages are
difficult to tune to,” she said.
Gwen needn’t worry about missing an important mention of traffic disruption on the bridge, Lisa said. “(We use) HARs for public service announcements only secondary to real-time traffic information. Information about marine openings that impede vehicle traffic would be conveyed over the HAR instead of the PSA, if the situation warranted.
“All of our HARs run PSAs when there is no real-time traffic
to report. We feel it’s a good way to get out important messages. That
said, we only turn on the flashing beacons or (big electronic signs) that tell you to tune
in, for real-time traffic or important ferry info.
That includes the public service message that was running on the HAR last week. It
explained to motorists some options for travel being considered
during the May-June 2009 closure of the Hood Canal Bridge, Lisa said. “It let
listeners know how to go about participating in a survey reviewing the
options. Visit www.hoodcanalbridge.com for more information.
“If ever you have questions about the current conditions of the Hood
Canal Bridge you can visit http://wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/hoodcanal/
or call the toll-free hot line at 800-419-9085,” she added.

Tags: HAR radio, Hood Canal Bridge, North Kitsap

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