Paving of Vashon Highway planned for summer

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 10, 2018

King County recently announced it is planning to repave 12 miles of Vashon Highway this summer, and island bicyclists are raising concerns about the rumble strips — grooved sections of pavement — which the county said it intends to keep.

Islanders may recall there was considerable upset over the strips in 2012, when they were installed with no notice. Many in the bicycle community objected forcefully, saying they were hazardous to cyclists, and the county modified the project after the cyclists and some local politicians weighed in.

Once again, several members of the bicycling community are objecting to the county’s paving plans, including islander Michael DeBlasi, who is a longtime bike commuter and the former president of the Cascade Bicycle Club. He said he believes that some rumble strips are likely inevitable, but that county officials should talk to islanders before proceeding.

“We should have a conversation before we have them for the next 20 years. We have a chance now to make it safer and better for everyone,” he said last week. “We want the roads to be as safe as possible for everyone.”

The rumble strips on the center line of the highway don’t present a large concern for cyclists, he said, but those on the shoulder sometimes do. He noted they fill with water and are hard to see — and have caused some falls and injuries to cyclists. It’s possible some modifications would help, such as placing them directly under fog line, which would keep them out of bikers’ direct paths and make them easier to see.

At King County, Road Engineer Rick Brater said his data shows that the rumble strips on Vashon Highway have led to a 30 percent reduction in crashes since their original installation about five years ago.

“This is a significant improvement in road safety for the people of Vashon Island and makes the reinstallation of rumble strips on Vashon Highway after the paving project is complete — in the same place and pattern as they are today — a matter of public safety,” he said in a Monday email.

He added that national studies by the Federal Highway Administration show that rumble strips lead to an average reduction in crashes of nearly one-third, with comparable and sometimes higher results seen around King County.

While Brater cited public safety, he said county officials are open to feedback from cyclists and other islanders about the project.

“We are happy to hear from cyclists about specific location issues and will evaluate specific areas to determine whether or not modifications might be warranted,” he said.

The project is planned to span the length of the island, with only two sections excluded from the work because they were repaved in 2009. The northernmost section that will not be repaved is near the John L. Scott office. The other is from SW 156th Street to Bank Road.

Officials at the Department of Transportation say that much of the highway is in poor condition and has not been repaved in 25 years. Some sections of the highway have cracks in the asphalt that, if ignored or just patched, could cause significant damage to the underlayment which would multiply repair costs dramatically. If the highway is not repaved now, it could cost three to five times more if the work waits until more damage is done to the pavement.

The project is expected to take three months to complete and will result in daytime delays to traffic up and down the island. A start date has not yet been set. During the repaving, one full lane will be closed, which means flaggers will direct traffic around the workers, one direction at a time. This could have significant negative effect on traveling the highway during the summer.

The Department of Transportation has reserved dates for pausing the construction over the summer, including July 3 and 4 and during the Strawberry Festival from July 19 through July 22.

For more information see kingcounty.gov/vashonhighway or contact Community Relations Planner Brent Champaco at 206-477-9094 or brent.champaco@kingcounty.gov.

— By Joel Schoenberg and Susan Riemer