By Marianne Lincoln
Answering the call for SR7 modification input
As I tackle this topic, I closed my eyes and let out a puff of air from my lungs. Calm, Marianne, calm. So much history, so many issues. I hardly know where to start, but I know I have a lot to say.
First and foremost, Pacific Avenue aka SR7, is not a stand alone object. It is uniquely tied to the Nisqually Bridge. Yes, way over there!
If there is an accident bloacking the highway at the Nisqually River, like the train did several eyars ago, there is no alternate route for the freeway traffic. We really should build one, because traffic heading North to Tacoma and Seattle on I-5 turns toward Yelm, McKenna, Roy, Spanaway and Parkland.
Those roads are often bumper to bumper traffic on regular days. It is completely wicked when Nisqually is blocked. And I know WSDOT has a major project coming up there also. Do not do them at the same time. Really, I mean that. It would be catastrophic.
Nest, Europe has had roundabouts for years, but even they are turning to traffic signals on some. Not every intersection is helped by a roundabout.
And, for forever, Spanaway has been the place where the “Roy-Y” exists. It is a community treasure. Do NOT change it to the Roy-Roundabout. It just would never be the same. It works the way it is. You would be fighting several generations of historic local culture by screwing that up. Yes, it would be a cultural blunder of significant proportions to alter that.
Pacific Avenue works only because you time the lights to move traffic. Round abouts slow traffic. (And when they go out – OMG!) You never gave the South County their Cross Base Highway, or the SR7 stub that ended in Tacoma near 38th Street. You locked us into a demonic nightmare of traffic snarls, car crashes, deaths and ungodly insurance rates. It has not made us friendly with you. Jake Fey would be brutalized if he tried to come out to a transportation conversation with us in Spanaway. We know who capitulated to outside forces in the Sierra Club campaign money train and stopped our SR704 project.
Thank heavens that on the STREAM lane closure someone got a clue before cinching SR7 down to one lane. We need 7. And we love our cars. Do not for one minute think you will trick us into riding the bus. Most of us will not. (I admit I did, but I am not everyone.)
Many people in the South County, LeMay Car Show and Spanaway Speedway land, love out collector cars, our new cars, our used cars, and we want to keep it that way. Build a few more roads, DAMM*T. Really, we feel that way. We think you are all wussy, treehugging nit wits for thinking you can make us all take transit. And while you are at it, stop making it look like the new housing development have a through street to offer and then suddenly there is a fence, a gate or those stand up posts blocking it.
Waaah, we don’t want cars on our street. Grrr… From B Street to 22nd Avenue needs a cross street badly. Between Waller and Cayone there should be another. And, oh yes, Lakewood to Mounts Road could use a side street so not everything has to use the freeway.
Yes, it takes money to ouy up the necessary easements. But it is only getting more expensive.
Have a said my peace? No, I am only getting warmed up. You thought the bottles of water under your map were funny, but they are serious. Topography and flooding, ground water, and sewage all play into the debacle the highways and planning departments have left us.
You screwed up our creek. Water and pollutants like 6PPDQ run of SR7 and the culverts go straight into Clover Creek. County taxpayers now have to build a collection system to remove those culverts and send that water to rentention ponds that have proper biofill, soild that will filter out the 6PPDQ. Don’t get me started on PFAS in fire fighting foam that contaminated a lot of well in the area.
We are a mess. Tread lightly. Talk to the experienced local people whose awareness abounds, even if they are a bit abrasive. They earned that from past experiences. If you are a planner recently out of school, brush up your social skills. You have to put some serious conflict resolution skills to work on this traffic issue.
Now we also know as mothers and grandmothers that we have some seriously out of control kids that need some parenting or schooling on their driving habits. One day they will meet up with a posse of us. Stop passing in the two waly left turn lanes and no, 30 mph over the speed limit is not acceptable. For those of us who have broken or replaced a leg bone, you are more dangerous than you know.
In short, Pierce County, south of Tacoma is a malevolent traffic nightmare, be very, very careful not to make it worse. We vote.