House passes law to improve safety on Highway 2

Dunshee, Sells say legislation will save lives

February 24, 2009

OLYMPIA -- The most dangerous highway in the state is on the path to becoming safer on Monday.

"The law we passed is aimed at fixing the part we use the most -- the trestle, where Highway 2 hooks up to I-5 and the interchanges," said Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, a cosponsor of the bill.

On Monday, House Bill 1575 passed the House by a vote of 92-0. It now heads for the Senate for consideration.

"In past years, we tackled the outer reaches of Highway 2," Dunshee said, "the blind curves and stretches where it narrows down to two lanes, places where we saw a lot of head-on collisions. This new law is about finding solutions for the last piece, which is a different animal. There are separated lanes. It's an entirely different problem."

The author of the law, Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett, said “This development plan would begin to address both traffic and safety issues from Snohomish to the Everett Naval Station. The hollow core pilings on the west bound trestle are in need of replacement. We don’t want another viaduct problem, and the way to avoid that is through careful planning of this corridor.”
Traffic safety statistics show that three times as many people are maimed or killed in car accidents than at the hands of criminals. Dunshee said that in spite of the numbers, more time and money goes toward crime.

"Highway 2 is a safety problem partly because of bad design," Dunshee said. "This law will put that design under the microscope and figure out solutions that will save lives."