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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

A Meeting at Bridge 155

Ginger M., Dave Somers, Kevin OlsonSuppose you wake up one morning or come home from work, say, and find your lawn staked out almost to your front doorstep? Those orange stakes signal your life is about to change. That’s the predicament in which Kevin Olson and Vicky Olson found themselves this past week. I posted about the Olsons’ situation after a chance meeting with Kevin in the produce section of Fred Meyers (“Upgrades Planned for Tualco Valley Speedway,” 7/18) when he told me about the County’s intent to replace Bridge 155 over Riley Slough. Until last week the County’s project was just a concept on twenty-seven pages of paper with cost projections, timelines, numbers and measurements, facts themselves worthy of concern for the Olsons.encroachment But seeing those garish orange stakes, the physical manifestation of encroachment on life and property, really bring home the stark facts of the matter. I know: we’ve had stakes near and on our property, and they’re wooden slivers that fester your peace of mind.

I’m standing by the Olsons’ home on the north side of Bridge 155  on the upper Loop Road. County district five councilman and Council Chair Dave Somers has set aside time to meet with Kevin to discuss the County’s proposed bridge replacement project. Kevin has invited The Ripple to attend the meeting.

It’s an Indian summer day: blue sky, shafts of morning sunlight filter through the maple trees across the road. Except for an occasional vehicle passing by, the quiet of Riley Slough soothes. Kevin’s rustic cottage complements the pastoral setting, plank siding, unpainted, the place nearly picture puzzle perfect. Whenever Gladys and I roll by, the coziness of this little cottage nestled on the bank of Riley Slough impresses us. Primroses in the window boxes announce spring; colorful hanging baskets accent the summer; the lawns always kempt and well-tended.A homey touch And so out of place now are those threatening day-glo orange stakes and surveyor’s figures splashed on the cement drive in front of the barn.

Councilman Somers, escorted by property owner Ginger Mullendore, strolls up the road to meet us...a half hour late…bad accident on Highway 2. Dave is soft-spoken, a good listener.Surveyor graffiti The fact he’s not wearing a tie and arrives on foot instead of rolling up in an “XMT” County vehicle puts us at ease. Dave is here to address a constituent’s concern, to assess the issue up close and personal. The meeting, necessarily, is one-sided: Somers is here to listen, gather information, and see what he can—if anything-- do to help. Kevin has done his research, asks pertinent questions he’d like answered, issues he’d like explained. Of paramount concern is the County’s right-of-way. Kevin believes it’s twenty feet from centerline; County claims thirty feet. Dave says rights-of-way vary, from twenty to thirty feet depending on the locale. He’ll check it out and asks if the County has contacted Ginger about buying the property the project would claim (they haven’t). new right-of-wayNext question: average daily traffic (ADT). Kevin claims the ADT figures are too high, would like to know where the counters were placed and the dates. If the bridge replacement was safety driven, The Ripple wanted to know if structure integrity was the County’s concern or was it the issue of a blind corner at the north bridge approach? (Seems a misuse of funds If the latter is the case: only one accident has occurred in the vicinity, back in 2007…and that incident south of the bridge.) Somers shared that the County is moving forward to replace its wooden bridges (#155 was built in the 1930’s). Kevin asks a funding question: to qualify for Federal funding (the current administration has allocated funds for states to repair/replace failing highway infrastructure) are there certain parameters to which states must adhere before federal funding is forthcoming? In cases involving federal funds, Somers believed states and counties had to share project costs and match funding. The price of the project? 4.4 million dollars. I tell Dave if St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City could be renovated for 3 million, it seems that Bridge 155 could be totally refurbished for far less than the 4 million price tag of a replacement—and the Olsons could keep their cottage and not have their lives turned upside down.

We pointed to the “Salmon Crossing” sign at the south end of the bridge, another point Kevin discussed with the County engineers. Their response: “Oh, we mitigate those issues all the time.” If County engineers are so adept at mitigation, we wondered, why couldn’t they “mitigate” the new bridge corridor to the east instead of the west? That way no homes or structures would be impacted by the project.Sufficient for the Valley Or repair the undercarriage of #155, which, by the way, engineers have determined currently can support forty tons safely. (Furthermore, The Ripple asks, if the County is so concerned about safety along the Tualco Road corridor, why don’t they “mitigate” the sharp curves at and east of Swiss Hall; both corners are debris fields because of frequent accidents on those two corners…and how about mitigating the excessive speed along the aptly named Tualco Valley Speedway?)new bridge approach

So for now we wait for feedback from Councilman Somers. But those stakes in Kevin’s front yard mean the bridge project is on the move; those stakes at this juncture mean the Olson family will be forced to relocate in the near future; those stakes mean adding an additional quarter mile of straightaway which will most certainly do nothing to “mitigate” speeding along that stretch of Tualco. I think about the elderly lady in Ballard who refused to sell her little house to developers…but she was dealing with the private sector, not a government agency with eminent domain their trump card. Understandably so, Kevin is mounting a petition drive to protest the project. Gladys and I most certainly will sign…but meanwhile we wait….

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7 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I have a petition here. Haven't signed it yet, so the Beebes are way ahead of me. I'm waiting to see what comes of the meeting with the project manager (Somers has promised Kevin). I've seen the survey lines of the proposed project and they don't bode well for the Olsons. Can't believe the County is spending that much money on our Valley. I guess they have to do something with all the $$$ we taxpayers send them every year. Good to hear from the Beebes. TMJ

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  2. Ginger has a petition that we signed.

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  3. That's good to know. Thanks for passing along the information. TMJ

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  4. Owen Carter, County Deputy Director/Engineer was out Nov 13th to assess our situation. He insists that the bridge has been found structurally unsafe and needs to be replaced. Okay, we get that - Kevin asked why they can situate the bridge a little more to the east and straighten the road on the east side with minimal invasion to personal property? He also requested to know where, exactly, the counting strip was placed to get over 600 cars a day. Definitely more questions than answers at this point.
    I have more petitions if anyone would like to sign - just let me know.

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  5. Thanks for the update, Ginger. I've been curious about your meeting with the county engineer. Looks like the bridge is a done deal. As I said in the post, once stakes appear on the property, it's just a matter of time. I hope the project can be moved east where it would only impact land, not lives and property. What is your timeline for petition drive? I have a petition here but was waiting to hear the results of the 11/13 meeting. I have others who I'm sure would be willing to sign. If you get answers to your unanswered questions, please keep me informed. By the way, how's Riley Slough today? I'll bet one can't see the bottom of it now. We just received our flood warning call from the County regarding flooding on the Skykomish, the second of the season. TMJ

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  6. Thanks for the update, Ginger. I've been curious about your meeting with the county engineer. Looks like the bridge is a done deal. As I said in the post, once stakes appear on the property, it's just a matter of time. I hope the project can be moved east where it would only impact land, not lives and property. What is your timeline for petition drive? I have a petition here but was waiting to hear the results of the 11/13 meeting. I have others who I'm sure would be willing to sign. If you get answers to your unanswered questions, please keep me informed. By the way, how's Riley Slough today? I'll bet one can't see the bottom of it now. We just received our flood warning call from the County regarding flooding on the Skykomish, the second of the season. TMJ

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