The in basket: With work beginning on the improvements to Lower Wheaton Way in East Bremerton between the Manette Bridge and Lebo Boulevard, I had some questions I hadn’t seen answered otherwise.

Notably, I wondered whether yellow flashing left turn lights will be added to the Lebo-Old Wheaton intersection in the shadow of Harrison Medical Center and whether the flashing lights that will call attention to pedestrians in the crosswalk at 18th Street and Old Wheaton will be like the ones in downtown Port Orchard, with lights in the pavement.

I also wondered how they made up the shortfall of a couple hundred thousand dollars they were talking about last winter in paying for the project.

I had suggested that they could save a bundle by keeping the north side sidewalk, which could be widened just by scraping off dirt and vegetation that had accumulated on it. I didn’t really expect them to go for that, but I asked if that sidewalk will be replaced along the entire length of the project.

The out basket: Gunnar Fridriksson, managing engineer for Bremerton streets, says there no longer will be a signal of any kind at Lebo and Old Wheaton, which will be converted to a four-way stop, probably today.

“The removal of the signal at Lebo is permanent,” he said. “There is not sufficient traffic to justify keeping the signal. We will be reusing the poles (as we did at 6^th and 11^th on Pacific) to hang illuminated street signs for the intersection and rebuilding all the sidewalks/ramps, as well.”

The 18th Street crosswalk flashers won’t be in the pavement, but on poles at each end of the crosswalk, like those Kitsap County has installed at Foster and Central Valley roads and numerous other places. They will flash “when activated by pedestrians using a push button,” he said. “Because of the tree canopy in this area, this system will be hard wired versus using solar panels.”

Sidewalks on both sides of Old Wheaton will be replaced and the one on water side will be widened to 10 feet.

They used some money set aside to match grants that may be forthcoming later in the year to fill out the Lower Wheaton Way project budget, but hope it won’t all be needed, he said.

“We are working with the contractor to see if there are cost savings to be realized by making some changes to the features so we can put the money back,” he said.

“We relooked at the street lighting and believe using a single fixture pole instead of the dual as originally bid will work just fine.  Plus possibly revising the (asphalt) overlay by reducing the thickness, using fencing instead of Jersey barrier at Schley Canyon, and a number of other options.”

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The in basket: Alison Loris wants to know more about the results of the publicized emphasis patrol in April to find and cite drivers texting or talking on their cell phones with the phones to their ear, both of which are against the law.

“I see more and more people ignoring the road while their attention is all for the phone,” she said.

The out basket: I, too, was curious about the emphasis patrol, and what tactics the officers used to spot texters and those on their cell phone that they wouldn’t in their every day jobs.

As reporter Andrew Binion noted in a Sun column shortly after the results were announced, it remains common to see people with their cell phone to their ear while driving, even after the emphasis.

I read a magazine article recently that equated use of one’s cell phone for texting with addictions like to drugs, alcohol and gambling, an irresistible impulse when the phone pings an alert of a new message incoming. Being behind the wheel doesn’t overcome that impulse, the article said.

I asked several of our police agencies what they did differently during the emphasis patrol and it appears to be mostly giving that offense a higher priority than otherwise. They weren’t making stops exclusively for cell phone infractions. They were extra officers on the road, working overtime.

They wrote 145 tickets for illegal cell phone use and 13 for texting while driving, a measure of the greater difficulty in seeing whether a driver is texting or just looking down.

They also cited 53 speeders, 22 for not having insurance, 12 for equipment violations, two negligent drivers, 40 for seat belt infractions, and one for not having a child properly restrained. They also just warned six for seat belt violations and two for child restraint problems.

Ten drivers with their license suspended and five without their license with them were cited.

Marsha Masters, Kitsap County Traffic Safety Manager, who compiled the figures, said a previous emphasis, a year or so ago, deployed officers in the High School Road roundabout on Bainbridge Island, where drivers had to slow down. Those using a cell phone improperly were stopped by other officers waiting nearby, alerted by those on foot in the roundabout

But that wasn’t done this time, she said.

State Trooper Russ Winger said troopers did not use any special method of detecting violations. “They simply patrolled and stopped violations as they observed them.

“We do, sometimes, set up in a stationary location where it is easier to observe violations such as cell phone usage and texting. The whole idea of the emphasis is to put extra officers on the road that are looking for these type of violations for a concentrated period and not subject to being called away for calls for service, collisions etc .

“We are not interested in using  ‘sneaky’ tactics to detect violations. Our officer are out there, in uniform and driving our regular patrol vehicles, which include unmarked patrol vehicles. I can tell you this for sure, there is no shortage of motorists using cell phones, texting while driving and doing various other distracted driving actions.”

Deputy Scott Wilson of the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department said of deputies who took part in the emphasis, “all replied that they participated in the emphasis patrols using just personal observations of drivers violating the (cell phone and texting laws).

“Nothing special, out of the ordinary or using some new, sophisticated technology…  just the standard Mark 1, Mod 0 deputy sheriff eyeball,” he quipped.

Deputy Chief Bob Wright of Poulsbo police said, “We didn’t use any super special thing during the emphasis. Some of the officers used plain unmarked patrol cars while one of the officers used a fully marked unit while they patrolled the city looking for people using cellular phones.”

And Lt. Pete Fisher of Bremerton police said  “We used two main tactics…. One, officers would patrol as normal and stop vehicles as they observed violations. Two, we also placed spotters at intersections to observe the violations.  The spotter(s) would then call out the violation to officers standing by in patrol vehicles.”

The in basket: Carl Johnson of Silverdale e-mailed to ask, “Now that the water piping work by Silverdale Water District is almost done, and given the ‘patch’ work that has accompanied this project, is there any chance that Silverdale Way (and side streets) will be re-paved, and allow us a smooth driving surface?

The out basket: I had been wondering the same thing and asked Kitsap County Public Works.

Dale Blackwood, lead right of way inspector for the county, says, “There is no current plan to overlay Silverdale Way. Once the project is complete the patches will be inspected. Those that don’t meet county standards will need to be brought to those standards before final approval of the project is given.

“Overlaying the entire surface will be considered for future work once the project is completed and accepted,” he said.

The in basket: Dustin Butler wrote this week, “I just spent the afternoon watching a crew grind the top layer of asphalt off of Collins Road between Baby Doll and Mountain View (in South Kitsap).  This section of road was just repaved by the county last summer and it appeared to be just fine.  Can you find out what gives and who is footing the bill of this rework?”

The out basket: Kitsap County Road Superintendent Jacques Dean says the asphalt provided for the paving work done last year did not meet specification  and the asphalt supplier is redoing its part this week at its own expense.

County equipment and employees, who did the work a year ago, completed it this week too. The supplier paid to have the defective pavement ground off and for the new batch of asphalt, he said.

Drivers in the area may have noticed a lot of loose rock on the driving surface and some holes as the top layer of aggregate (rock) broke out of the asphalt since the repaving last year.

Last year’s repaving was a maintenance project completed by county staff rather than a contracted project, he said. Testing of the asphalt was not completed at the time of placement due to heavy staff workload, although testing may not have revealed the observed raveling problem, which showed itself sometime after the mix was placed, Jacques said.  The supplier could have argued that the fault lay entirely with the county and its placement operation, but didn’t and accepted responsibility for the asphalt mix.

“We had them out there earlier this spring and they acknowledged the problem was most likely on their end,” he said. “They are doing what’s right, no arguing, and stepped up to the plate. I commend them for their integrity.”

Jacques expected the work to be finished Thursday.”

The in basket:  Norman Marten of Bainbridge Island wrote in March about what he considered to be “possibly the worst intersection configuration imaginable … at least for me.”

“I was on Central Valley Road traveling north to get onto Route 303 toward Silverdale,” he said. “I crossed over 303 and saw what appeared to be the entrance on the left.

“Immediately I saw a one-way sign and a large “DO NO ENTER sign. I kept going by and turned left on what I thought was the entrance. No. It is a parallel local road, which is an issue in itself.

“It is separated from the actual entrance lanes by a low chain link fence such that oncoming cars there appear to be headed right at you until the last moment (it curves).

“In any case, I turned around and proceeded back and discovered that the opening from Central Valley is a wide, shared area with the entrance and exit lanes combined.  Who is the rocket scientist that designed that?

“A ways into this there is a slightly raised divider on the pavement but you need to actually turn into this to realize what is happening.

“What I totally don’t understand,” he said, “is why they don’t have an island at the edge of Central Valley with clear signage that the entrance is to the right of the divide.  Putting the low divider back from where Central Valley passes is crazy.  I can’t imagine getting there on a rainy night.  Really scary.  Combined exit/entrance lanes should be outlawed.”

The out basket: I don’t often use this combined exit-entrance and haven’t had any trouble there the few times I did. I’m fairly certain it wasn’t dark and rainy.

There was an indication the day I went to look at it that someone else might have had a problem. On the sign pointing to the left to go to Silverdale, someone had added a peculiar-looking decal, pointing down at a 45-degree angle, as if to provide some added instruction. It was gone the next time I visited there.

Also, I turned onto the short dead-end street Norman mentions, and in coming back out, saw a pickup truck moving at what seemed too high a speed for that road coming at me. He actually was over on the on-ramp to 303, which became obvious when it curved, but it was a momentary thrill.

The state doesn’t see need for a change. Claudia Bingham Baker of the state’s Olympic Region says, “Your reader is asking for a sign to be placed on a center island between the ramps on the north side of the interchange.  We believe such a sign would be a hazard for left-turning trucks and would probably be knocked down in short order.

“Since the way to Silverdale is already signed before the on-ramp, we have no current plans to make sign changes at that location.”

She didn’t address extending the center divider to Central Valley Road, but I suppose that would be hit by far more turning drivers than would be confused by the current alignment.