Before
we get into specific projects today – I just wanted to remind those of you who
drive through work zones this year to, please, leave space at driveways and
intersections. Before you pull into an intersection, make sure there is room
for your vehicle to fit so you don’t block traffic in other directions. When it
comes to driveways, it may feel like you’re leaving an awkward gap but leaving
room there allows other drivers to enter and leave the area without jamming up
the other lane as someone waits for room to turn.
I
know sometimes we all think the line of cars will move more than it does and we
misjudge. If that does happens, try to get out of the way as much as you can
and make sure you’re always aware of what’s going on ahead, not just following
the car in front of you.
#SharpesCorner project
In just a couple hours, contractor crews
from Tapani will open all legs of the SR 20 Miller/Gibralter roads roundabout
from 7 p.m. today, April 26 until 6:30 a.m. Friday, April 27. Travelers in
either direction of SR 20 or Miller Road or Gibralter Road will approach the
intersection, look left and when clear, proceed into the roundabout, signal
your exit and then travel through that exit. If there is not a vehicle or
cyclist in the roundabout to your left, you do not need to come to a complete
stop. While there likely won’t be many pedestrians in this area overnight, if
there are, you must yield to them as well.
Crews
will monitor the area tonight and work more tomorrow. A weekend schedule is TBD
but stay tuned to our WSDOT
North Twitter account for updates on that. There is no solid start date for
Sharpes Corner lane reductions yet. They will likely start the second week of
May following work next week on the lanes between the roundabout, drainage,
striping and other finishing touches near Miller/Gibralter roads.
Anacortes paving
Crews have been busy grinding during the overnight hours this week. Tonight, starting at 9 p.m. they plan to start paving some of those ground down areas of SR 20 Spur/12th Street/Oakes Avenue. Flaggers will alternate traffic until 7 a.m. tomorrow morning. No work will happen over the weekend but some ground down sections could remain so make sure you’re slowing speeds though this stretch 24/7 until Lakeside Industry crews are able to complete paving work.
Cycling to the Anacortes ferry for Tour de Lopez?
For anyone cycling
through Anacortes and onto the ferry for Tour de Lopez, know that the
construction work mentioned above, could affect your trip. Avoid it
by using Skagit County roads and/or the Tommy Thompson Trail off USBR 10 and
then city roads through town.
Here
is a link to a Skagit
County Bike Map, which can help you choose alternate routes to the
terminal.
You can check to
see if the road you travel is
scheduled for a closure by looking at our construction update page (I
update it on Fridays). Then daily, when crews start closing a lane, our team
calls in that closure to our 24/7 desk and it
gets updated online. That info is also pushed to the WSDOT app and to 511.
I’ve also been working to update closure information in highway news Facebook
groups and on the WSDOT North Twitter page. Let me know if there is a forum I
should be part of to help share this information which can quickly change due
to weather and work progress.