Radar speed signs planned for 4th Avenue between Everett schools

Natalie Gettemy of Everett writes: On Fourth Avenue W. in south Everett, there are two schools within a couple of hundred feet of one another: Mariner High School and Voyager Middle School. Nowhere near either school is there a “school zone” speed limit sign.

Shouldn’t there be some sort of marker or flashing light indicating when and where you are entering and exiting a school zone and need to slow down? If there is no indicator it would seem to me that you could do the posted speed limit of 35 mph without getting pulled over, because there is absolutely no indicator you are in a school zone.

Bronlea Mishler, a spokeswoman for Snohomish County, responds: On Fourth Avenue W., near Mariner High School and Voyager Middle School, a traffic signal is provided at every location where students can cross the road. Because Fourth Avenue W. is a multi-lane arterial with a considerable amount of traffic, this is a safer alternative for students than merely reducing the speed to 20 mph and installing crosswalks.

Technically, it is not a school zone. If doesn’t have 20 mph school-zone signs, then it is not a school zone. In this case, however, there are signs warning drivers they are approaching a school.

This spring, Snohomish County is planning to install two radar-operated speed signs in the vicinity of both schools as an additional tool to help drivers recognize the posted speed limit. The speed signs will tell drivers how fast they are traveling as they pass by the schools.

Mike Beauchamp of Camano Island writes: I frequently drive through Everett on I-5 to Seattle and have noticed that there are numerous overhead illumination lights that have burned out from the center median through Everett, from the Snohomish River bridge to south of downtown Everett.

More than two dozen of these lights are not working. This is a safety concern, as this is a very congested length of I-5 with numerous ramps and is historically affected by low visibilities and fog. 

I have made numerous attempts to correct this issue with phone calls to the state Department of Transportation. Each time I was told it was a safety concern and that they would take care of the issue. However, to date nothing has been done to correct the problem.

It seems to me the Transportation Department would check for burned-out lights on a routine basis and would replace any malfunctioning bulbs before it contributes to an accident.

Tom Pearce, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, responds: Our maintenance crews are aware of the issues Mike describes regarding the lighting along I-5 through Everett and are planning for repairs to the lights.

Because of the location of the lights within the median section of I-5, making repairs requires a fair amount of planning and preparation. The locations involved are exposed to traffic and require coordination with electrical maintenance crews with tall bucket trucks needed to reach the lights, as well as roadway maintenance crews to provide traffic control and close the southbound carpool lane and shoulder to provide a safe work environment.

The work can be done only during daylight hours, when the lighting system can be deactivated without throwing a large section of I-5 into the dark. Because of high traffic volumes during the work week, the best time to do the work is during early morning hours on weekends.

We had recently scheduled this work to be done, but weather conditions forced us to cancel. We now are rescheduling and hope to complete the work in the next few weeks.

E-mail us at streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your city of residence.

Look for updates on our Street Smarts blog at www.heraldnet.com/streetsmarts.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Everett police searching for missing child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive. The child was missing under “suspicious circumstances.”

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Everett
11 months later, Lake Stevens man charged in fatal Casino Road shooting

Malik Fulson is accused of shooting Joseph Haderlie to death in the parking lot at the Crystal Springs Apartments last April.

T.J. Peters testifies during the murder trial of Alan Dean at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Bothell cold case trial now in jury’s hands

In court this week, the ex-boyfriend of Melissa Lee denied any role in her death. The defendant, Alan Dean, didn’t testify.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.