Seattle fixes signal, Tacoma has to wait for bridge repair
Apr 4, 2019, 7:10 AM | Updated: 7:20 am
(Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio)
(Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio)
I have been working through my co-workers traffic issues lately, and I recently tackled a concern by 97.3 KIRO FM’s Dori Monson.
Chokepoints grab bag: Potholes, bus lanes, and bike backups
He was convinced that something had happened with the signal timing at the end of the I-5 southbound ramp to Roanoke, because it has been backing up significantly for the last few months. Dori had witnessed several near crashes because of drivers pulling out of the backup into traffic.
“Something has changed,” Monson told me. I have experienced the same thing while exiting at Roanoke. The signal used to be much more reactive when cars are present.
I asked the Seattle Department of Transportation — which manages the signal at the end of the off-ramp — to check it out. Engineers found nothing wrong with signal timing and nothing else out of the ordinary. After I experienced a similar backup last Sunday, I asked SDOT to take another look.
And engineers did find a problem with a camera that monitors how many cars are lined-up at the signal. It wasn’t counting properly, which was causing the backups. The city is now working on a fix.
But I don’t just check-out Chokepoints for my co-workers. KIRO Radio listener Shannon, who lives in Tacoma, asked me about the $42-million project to replace the Puyallup River Bridge just north of I-5, which connects Tacoma and Fife.
“It would save so much stress on I-5 — do you know when it will be complete?” she asked in an email.
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The 92-year-old bridge was in bad repair. It was load-restricted ten years ago. Contractors are replacing three of the seven spans in this first phase of the work. 15,000 vehicles a day use this bridge, and those drivers — like Shannon — are wondering when it’s going to open up again.
The project was supposed to finish-up early this year. It was then pushed back to spring, and now it’s not expected to be completed until July.
What’s with all the delays? The city found more damage to the bridge during inspections, and it decided to fix those now. Contractors are also having a tough time working over the active rail line below because there is only so much time they can work in between trains. The bad weather also played a role in delaying the project.
