WSDOT is again trying to sell the people of our county a wet bandage for our clogged main arteries. They call highways and bridges arteries for a reason, because they sustain life.

What Olympia Transportation Leadership can’t apparently see is the Hood Canal Bridge location plays a major part in all our lives, it’s our main artery. 

If you think it’s a problem now? Wait until they install the proposed Wet Bandage Roundabout on our side of the bridge.

Check your brakes and consider a huge airbag for the back of your car because after you crest the hill on 104 and head downhill toward the bridge. The traffic flow ahead will take forever, be about 5 miles per hour — and the trucks trying to stop behind you filled with logs, sand, gravel, and concrete may not be your best friend.

This location is at the heart of our county’s existence. 

I would propose the following in stages:

1. Install a programable traffic light and monitoring controls on both sides of the bridge with cameras and manual bypass controls utilizing existing emergency power backup generation that already exists at the bridge entry point gate positions and tie to addition warning lights on 104 eastbound.

2. Relocate Paradise Road, entry and provide an overpass to the bridge.

3. Widen Highway 3 south to Poulsbo. Provide bridge traffic holding areas with public restrooms on the Kitsap side and an overpass to the bridge.

4. Our local- and state-Level representatives, running or in office, should stand and fight to do it right. 

Any accident at this location will likely stop traffic flow in both directions providing the almost impossible task of staging emergency response or wreckage removal equipment. The delays could be very extensive and very frequent.

Where do our candidates stand?

Dean Crawford
PORT LUDLOW