Drive the new Highway 97A "oval-about"

November 26, 2012

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karilg 5 months, 3 weeks ago

It is not to bad. The approach is a bit odd but the actual roundabout is ok.

JimboBear 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Wow! There was even one time there when we could see two vehicles in the intersection at the same time! I guess if we are "creating jobs" as the President wishes us to do, a waste of money like this becomes an absolute necessity.

kyook 5 months, 3 weeks ago

I've been thru this "oval-about" a few times and I really can't see where there was much of a need for it other than to benefit the Stemilt trucks.

lonedog3 5 months, 3 weeks ago

the stemilt trucks can and do use the back way in to the plant as depending on which way you come it is very hard to pivot a truck. try a 56" split axel coming from the north. what a total waste of our tax money. so what stemilt kicked in some it is still our tax money for the majority.

Dave 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Take a good highway and fix it until it is broke.

wonderstar 5 months, 3 weeks ago

I agree Dave and JimboBear! Great "make work" project that fixes something that didn't appear to be broken. I'm not sure the Stemilt truck will benefits either. There will be lots of tire tracks on the nice red curb.

wonderstar 5 months, 3 weeks ago

That's not a 360 turn in the video. It is only a 180.

carol 5 months, 3 weeks ago

The last part is about a 355 degree turn. Maybe not a true 360 but much more than a 180.

carol 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Oops. Dan is right. I will send myself back to trig class tomorrow..

JimboBear 5 months, 3 weeks ago

"There will be lots of tire tracks on the nice red curb."

Right you are Dan! Right on the 180 as well, but did you notice that there were already plenty of tracks on the brick? Someone is bound to point out though, the reason that brick is there and not a hard curb and landscaping is because even the so called "engineers" who designed this silly thing realize that it's nearly impossible to drag a 40 foot plus semi-trailer around a circle (oval) so small. All the more reason it was a silly project to begin with.

KIB509 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Yes I understand that big trucks have a tough time turning left out of Stemilt but how does this help the problem? I have seen it become more difficult for trucks going straight down 97 now. The sharp turn before and around the round about does not make it easier for us all... only makes things more difficult. Could they have made a 4 way stop? That would have stopped speeders, allowed trucks to come out safely and I believe would have cost less money.

trebor462 5 months, 3 weeks ago

The idea behind traffic circles is to keep traffic moving smoothly and not having to stop and waste fuel. Once people learn how to maneuver in a circle it will be a lot better. BUT the trick is to educate people on how to drive in these things. Circles have been used in Europe and New Zealand and Australia for years and have proven to be efficient and cost effective.

JimboBear 5 months, 3 weeks ago

In case you hadn't noticed Trebor, this is not Europe, Australia or New Zealand. One of the reasons they work better there is because they don't put 25 mile an hour circles in a 60 mile an hour roadway. They apparently haven't figured that out yet here in this state. I refer you to the new one on Hwy 2 just East of Sultan if you question what I am saying. At least that one is large enough to negotiate with a tractor and semi-trailer rig or truck and trailer. Looking at this video and paying attention to the number of vehicles passing through this intersection, I don't really see the need for such a device anyway. I see more traffic than than that at 3:30 A.M. on Sunday morning in most places I go.