Road Warrior

The in basket: I came across a five-year-old e-mail from Scott Frisbie, who said in 2008, “McWilliams Road by Rolling Hills could really use either a walkway or bike lane.

“It seems there is always a lot of pedestrian traffic walking at the edge of or on the roadway itself as the shoulders are extremely narrow.

“I don’t imagine it’s a priority, since the sides of the road would require a fair amount of excavating to be able to widen the roadway itself,” Scott said.

The out basket: Five years haven’t changed anything for the better in this regard, though I see more pedestrians walking on the north side of McWilliams on the eastbound upgrade from Highway 303 to the residential spurs  at the top than in front of the golf course.

Doug Bear of Kitsap County Public Works, replied, “I forwarded your note to Jim Rogers, who is putting together the Transportation Improvement Program for presentation to the (county commissioners later this year. He added your reader’s comments to the project file.” The program prioritizes road projects over the next six years.

“This is a good time to remind your readers that we always welcome suggestions for capital improvement projects,” Doug added. “They can submit ideas and learn more about the process at http://www.kitsapgov.com/pw/sixyear_tip.htm.”

In my experience, it’s rare for the county to take on a sidewalk project that isn’t part of a larger job, or required of a private developer as mitigation for adding traffic. On the other hand, bike and pedestrian lanes are very much in vogue these days, especially when seeking federal money.

The in basket: Mary Barton e-mailed to say, “I’m wondering if you can tell me why Greaves Road in Silverdale was created.  “I was driving on Old Frontier from Trigger Avenue” she said, “and encountered this new (to me) intersection (Old Frontier and Greaves).  I took Greaves road by mistake probably because I was confused by the change.

“Greaves road is nice, wide and empty.  Why did we spend money on a road that isn’t used?   What if anything is the county planning for this new road, that if you take a left at

Highway 303 takes us to the worst intersections in the county?”

The out basket: The road (it’s name is actually Greaves Way) is intended to provide a more direct route between west Silverdale/rural Central Kitsap and that “worst” intersection, which gets one onto the Highway 3 and Highway 303 freeways, and to link Clear Creek and Old Frontier roads more directly, while providing access to an area designated by county planners as a major commercial area of the future.

A statement from the county says, “Discussion on design of this roadway was originally initiated in the 1990s, with funding acquired over the years from local and federal sources. (It) was added to the County’s Transportation Improvement Plan in 2000 to initiate design and engineering.  ”In 2006, the Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan expanded the Silverdale Urban Growth Area and added 450 acres of land for new opportunities for commercial, office and industrial uses. The new road was, and still is (the economy turned and the developments got put on hold), intended to provide a development catalyst to these lands by providing access to a wide-range of new employment and service opportunities for Kitsap County residents.

(It) was also offered as an alternate route into, and around, Silverdale, reducing congestions on Anderson Hill Road and Bucklin Hill Road,” the statement said.

The in basket: Jerry Van Fossen has his doubts about Kitsap County plans to put a stop signal at the off-ramp from southbound Highway 303 at Ridgetop Boulevard in Silverdale.

“That red light is going to create additional havoc for those heading west,” he predicts. “They will have four lights within a quarter mile.

“The  only problem is rush hours. Just forbid left turns from 3 to 6 p.m.,” he proposes.”What you will do there is back up traffic heading west.”

Eastbound traffic out of Silverdale greatly outnumbers left turn traffic at that off-ramp, he said.

Jerry’s may be a lone voice objecting to the traffic light, a project the county took out of the state’s hands in order, they expect, to lessen one bottleneck on a route likely to get a lot more use next year when they widen Bucklin Hill Road.

A signal at that on-ramp is one of the most common requests made to the Road Warrior column, and I would expect a no-left-turn limitation there in the afternoons to be wildly unpopular with those who use that off-ramp in the afternoons. There are no convenient alternate routes, especially for those who had come south on Highway 3.

I asked county Public Works about Jerry’s concerns.

The out basket: Jeff Shea, the county’s traffic engineer says, “Currently the delays and the safety issues related to the Highway 303 southbound offramp clearly justify a signal on the west side on/off ramps.

“The new signals will be interconnected with a fiber optics line to the Myhre signal.  We hope to  eventually connect Hillsboro also.

“I can’t give you a date on when that might happen – (it’s a) budget and manpower issue.

“The new signal will be under the control of the state.  (It) has many highway ramps with signalized intersections on both ramp terminals, including the SR 303/Silverdale ramps.  They have the trained personnel to make the signal timing coordination as facilitating as possible, and they are willing to work with us on signal coordinations.  “I can’t make the claim that this won’t impact the other delays, but they should be minimal if at all.

“We have received a request to look at extending the right turn lane for westbound traffic on the eastside of SR 303.  This would shorten the queues by allowing more motorists to reach that turn lane without getting delayed in the through-lane queue.

“The project is currently being evaluated in our Transportation Improvement Program.”

The in basket: Virginia Pace says she is concerned about “the increasing number of accidents. some with serious injuries, that take place at the corners of John Carlson/Fairgrounds roads and Highway 303.

“John Carlson has become a very busy and fast street,” she said. “Drivers exiting John Carlson on right turns have a large fast intersection to scope out before their turns. A pedestrian gets lost in that scope.

“I counted seven lanes on the north side of 303.  Pedestrians are taking chances in crossing that wide busy intersection. I live near (there), hear the sirens, see the skid marks, see the traffic being routed around the accidents, the broken glass, and motor liquids left on the highway.

“Can this dangerous intersection be evaluated for safety for pedestrians?” she asked. “I am suggesting blinking caution lights on the dividers between north and south lanes. The blinkers would alert drivers and pedestrians to be visually careful. And, without a doubt, there are more pedestrians and bicyclists using all intersections. I see more and more pedestrians walking up and down John Carlson.”

The out basket: State records don’t confirm what Virginia says she witnesses from her home.

Lisa Copeland of the Olympic Region of state highways, says, “In the last five years there have been no pedestrian collisions and two bike collisions at, or near the intersection.

“The first bike accident occurred at a driveway within a 100 feet of the intersection as a car emerging from a driveway hit a bike traveling on the shoulder. The bicyclist hurt his knee.

“The second occurred when a bike crossed against the signal and was struck. The bicyclist was considered at fault in the collision.”

It doesn’t sound like John Carlson/Fairgrounds and 303 stands much chance of being singled out for special pedestrian safety work.

The in basket: There it was, quietly tucked within the story about plans for the planned Bucklin Hill Road bridge in the March 22 issue of the Kitsap Sun.

“A traffic signal to be installed next year at the closest offramp on Waaga Way should increase traffic flows for vehicles taking Waaga Way as a detour around the construction site,” it said.

Could it be, I wondered, will the state finally install a signal at the southbound off-ramp of Waaga Way, a.k.a. Highway 303, at Ridgetop Boulevard?

Reader requests for such a signal have really been too numerous to mention over the years, but the most I’d been able to learn is the county and state were talking about it.  Left turns onto Ridgetop are notoriously hard to make at busy times due to the heavy traffic.

I asked if the signal was finally on its way.

The out basket: Tina Nelson, senior program manager for the county, says yes, that is the plan, and the county has taken over management of the signal project. It’s included in the county’s six-year road plan, known as the TIP.

I can’t feel too bad about not spotting it, as it’s listed on the plan as simply “intersection improvements.”

Tina goes on to say, “A recent decision/agreement was made where the county will manage the project. Funding will come from the state Department of Transportation ($140,000), Harrison Hospital ($225,000), and the county road fund (the balance, which is currently estimated at $160,000).

“The TIP shows the project as being constructed in 2014, but we are going to try and get it constructed in 2013, before the Bucklin Hill bridge,”  she said.

The in basket: A couple of days after I was channeled past the  the recent McWilliams Road ditching project for CenturyLink, just east of Highway 303, a woman reader had the same experience. It wasn’t much of a problem for either of us. But after her second time through, she told a different story in a phone call to the Sun’s newsroom.

As editor David Nelson related the conversation to me, she turned onto McWilliams on December 9 and said the flagger had completely shut down the road with no detour signs or warning. Her complaint was that the guy was a jerk when she pulled into a driveway to get pointed the other way, and that any Walgreen’s customer was unable to turn into the store’s parking lot. And that anyone headed to Illahee had a six-mile detour with no warning. David said the question in his mind is what notice is required when you close a road like that. “I’m assuming that notice or detour signs are required in any roadwork contract,” he said, ” but what happens when a company doesn’t fulfill the requirement?”

I asked the county if full closure of McWilliams was permissible under whatever permit the county had issued for the work. It is listed on the county’s weekly road work report, which anyone can see online at www.kitsapgov.com/pw/roadwork.htm, but there is no mention of a total closure.

The out basket: Dale Blackwood, lead right-of-way inspector for Kitsap County Public Works, said, “I checked with the contractor regarding your reader’s concern. They did recall the incident with the woman, who was frustrated with the delay and vocalized her frustration to the contractor.

“Contrary to her report, the road was never completely closed,” Dale said. “The entrance to the Walgreen’s was closed during the work and that seemed to frustrate your reader, but the other entrance to Walgreen’s (off Highway 303) was open.

“Because of the high volume of traffic there, and the proximity to the very busy intersection of McWilliams and Highway 303, there were significant delays for motorists passing through the work area.

“Under the permit issued for this type of work, temporary closures of a roadway are permissible,” he said. “If the closure exceeds 12 hours, it must be approved and authorized by the Board of County Commissioners. Cannon Construction, (which is doing the work for CenturyLink, “has always proved reliable in observing permit restrictions in the work they’ve done along county-maintained rights-of-way,” Dale said.

The in basket: Bob Arper asks if the county or state hase “decided to eliminate the merge lane that was originally on northbound Ridgetop Boulevard where the Waaga Way  westbound exit intersects.

“It appears that is the case,” he said,  “since I have noticed all the other white lines on Ridgetop have been painted in but not the line for the merge lane. Can someone tell me why it was not done?”

The out basket: Jeff Shay, traffic engineer for Kitsap County, says “Yes, we intentionally let the lane line wear out. When the state redid the left-turn lane under the Highway 303 underpass, it aligned the through lane so it is almost dead center on the northbound lane line on Ridgetop Boulevard. It was impossible to realign the lane, so to avoid collisions between merging traffic and the through lane, we eliminated the line, making it a single wide lane.”

The in basket: Pat Ryan of Brownsville has contacted me twice, years apart, suggesting that more directional signs around the northbound on-ramp to Highway 303 from Callahan Drive in East Bremerton are needed.

At present, only drivers westbound on Callahan have signs showing the way to the highway. Drivers who come north on Clare Avenue, which arcs around as a one-way street in its final couple hundred feet, can see the ramp, and maybe the highway, but are left to put two and two together without benefit of a sign saying, yes, a left turn will get you onto 303.

This year, Pat added that a sign down the hill at Lebo Boulevard and Clare, directing drivers seeking northbound Highway 303 up the hill would also be helpful.

There also is doubt about whether a left turn from Callahan onto the ramp is legal. A sign says no U-turn, but is mum on left turns.

Richard Gonzales e-mailed to say he knows a person who was stopped and warned by a Bremerton officer for making the left turn.

“The is no signage prohibiting the turn,” he noted. “Since my coworker wasn’t cited, can I assume that this officer just felt it was unsafe to turn left there or is it truly illegal?”

The out basket: It’s a legal place to make a left turn, says, Lt. Pete Fisher, head of BPD’s traffic division. He speculated that there may have been something dangerous about how Richard’s co-worker made the turn, perhaps not yielding to a car on Callahan, that prompted the warning.

Larry Matel of the city engineers says this about the signs Pat proposes:

“While often times we all might like another roadway sign here or there, signs are deployed based upon a number of factors including traffic volume, complexity of traffic movements, traffic speed, and consequences of missing a turn, as well as economics.

“That said, the city of Bremerton has thousands of street signs that all need to be maintained, regardless of the state of the economy. Therefore, we always look carefully at all requests for additional signing placement because the initial cost of the sign is only a portion of the cost of maintaining the sign over the life of the roadway. The costs do add up.

“In this specific case, I do not see overwhelming life/safety or convenience issues creating a strong need to add additional maintenance responsibilities to our operations, especially in times of very tight budgets.”

I drove around the area, imagining that I was a stranger to the city coming from the direction of Lion’s Field, and I think a greater need for sign installation or maintenance exists on old Wheaton Way, which gets a lot more traffic.

There are no signs at Lebo and old Wheaton Way showing the way to 303, and a sign up the hill on old Wheaton that is intended to is almost entirely hidden by trees. Even then, it describes it as the way to “Warren Avenue/Wheaton Way,” which a newcomer probably wouldn’t know is also Highway 303.

The in basket: Vern Beeson and Steve Newton called me last fall to protest what they feel is the misuse of an access on Highway 303 in Bremerton across from the Camelot Court mobile home park, where Vern lives. It’s configured only for right turns into and out of the parking area at the Azteca restaurant just north of Fred Meyer.

But, both men said, it’s often used by left turners coming south on the highway. They aren’t dissuaded by the awkward configuration of that access for left turns.

Steve said he was almost hit by an Access bus that roared into the exit half of the access on Sept. 2, ignoring the Do Not Enter sign on that half.

“Nearly every time I’ve driven into East Bremerton the last year and a half,” he said, “there is a car trying to make an illegal left to go in the wrong way at this intersection” so they do not have to wait at the left-turn signal just ahead at Fred Meyer.

“(Are there) any plans to force traffic to go through the light, or does a fatal accident have to occur before action is taken?”

Vern added an aspect of the problem that hadn’t occurred to me. Drivers waiting to turn left toward Azteca are in the way of people like him who want to pull into the center area and make their own lefts to go home, he said. It’s especially irritating when he’s pulling his trailer and must then find a place to turn around up ahead so he can return and make a right turn into Camelot Court.

Unlike Steve and others who have objected to this, who want to see left turners toward Azteca cited for an illegal turn, Vern suggests closing the right-in half of that right-in-right out access altogether. He never sees anyone actually turn right into the parking area, he said.

The out basket: I’ve written about this twice before and the last time, in July 2005, I wrote that those left turns appear to be legal. There is no cross-hatching, sign or broad yellow center stripe to prohibit a left-turn, and the pavement arrows in the middle there show it as a two-way turn lane.

I so concluded despite a state patrol position that the turns SHOULD be illegal but that it would be hard to enforce with the current striping.

Trooper Krista Hedstrom, who has taken over as spokeswoman for the local WSP detachment, agrees with her predecessor from 2005, and says this time the state Department of Transportation has agreed to install No-Left-Turn signs, when it gets around to it, to allow citations for the action.

As for Vern’s idea, WSP would oppose closing that half of the access, she said. “Closing the right-in half of that access may eliminate one issue, but could potentially create others,” she said.”By eliminating that access, you are creating unnecessary traffic in the Fred Meyer parking lot which creates risks to pedestrians/shoppers.

“Right now that access may not be used much but that could be partly due to the fact that many of the businesses have closed,” she added.  “Once those buildings are occupied again, traffic will begin to pick up for those using that right-turn-in.”

That’s beside the point for Steve’s situation, as the turn he describes by the Access bus would clearly have been a violation, since it went in the exit and the driver ignored the Do Not Enter sign there.

The in basket: Ray Smith e-mailed in October with a strange tale.

“Today I rode my bicycle through the drive thru at the Burger King at the intersection of Highway 303 and Fairgrounds,” he wrote. “After getting no response at the speaker where orders are normally taken I proceeded to the pick-up window.

“The order taker informed me that a bicycle will not trigger the sensor that tells them someone is there. I was then informed that they could not take orders from a bicyclist.

“I inquired ‘Does that mean you will not take my order?’ I was told they couldn’t take my order because there was a car behind me. I said ‘There was no car behind me when I rode up.’ The reply was ‘Sorry I can’t take your order.’

“Is there some kind of requirement, by law, that says a bicyclist cannot be served in a drive thru? What about motorcycles or snowmobiles? (I recall reading an article that McDonald’s takes orders from snowmobilers in northern climates where the snow gets deep). “And finally, Is this just a Burger King policy? So much for ‘Have it your way.’”

The out basket: I asked Ray why a bicyclist would want to use a drive-through and he told me, “There was no convenient or designated place to park and lock my bike. From personal experience I have found you can’t secure your bike to whatever might be handy, I have had my locking cable cut and the bike hauled away by security personnel for securing it to a fence. It was also a nice day and I preferred to stay outdoors.”

Jeff Rose of Sound City Foods, which runs that Burger King, had this to say, “Drive thru lanes were built, primarily, for cars.  With today’s active lifestyles and fuel prices, guests are traveling to our restaurants using a variety of methods.

“It is true that a bicycle will not trip the sensor indicating a vehicle is present but once Mr. Smith was at the pick-up window we could have and should have served him.

“I would, however, advise caution using a bike in any drive thru as most guests are not accustomed to seeing a bike in the drive thru lane.”

They’re happy to serve motorcyclists in the drive-thru lane, he said. “Bottom line is we want to provide a safe experience for all guests.

“Please send along my apologies to Mr. Smith and my contact info should he want to contact me directly.”