Were you among those driving through Gorst this morning.? I was, and around 10 a.m., coming from Port Orchard on Highway 16, I encountered a slow rolling backup that extended nearly to the Old-Clifton-Tremont Street exit. I saw that the backup stretched to the other side of Sinclair Inlet.
It took me 40 minutes to get to Bremerton (a drive that usually takes 15 to 20), but I beat my cohort, reporter Brynn Grimley. She stayed on the main road, while I drove up over Sherman Hill Road to Auto Center Way.
The cause is roadwork in the southbound lane (heading from Bremerton to Gorst), as Department of Transportation crews replace plastic shields, known as “glare panels” on top of the Jersey barrier that divides the middle of Highway 3. At night, the glare panels help reduce light in drivers’ eyes caused by oncoming headlights.
The work is expected to conclude around 2 p.m. today.
