— from Shannon Wilbur for San Juan Public Works —
This week, the focus has been on the road improvements at McNallie Lane intersection and the portion of Orcas Rd leading up to it.
With improved sight distance, it will be easier for drivers to see cross traffic in both directions allowing them to safely pull out into the intersection. The turning radius is also greater to allow trucks more room to make the corner.
Please drive carefully and slowly. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Sometime next week, the intersection area will be complete, the traffic control lights will be packed up, and the Contractor will move into the closed zone north of McNallie to continue working.
Note that speed limits on both McNallie Lane and Dolphin Bay Road have been reduced to 25 mph for increased safety.
Sight distance improvements only seem to encourage more recklessness, speeding, and poor judgment by drivers. Seeing miles ahead isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. How much habitat was disturbed irreversibly to make these so called road improvements? At what cost to human neighbors but more important, at what cost to all the creatures that had their homes on this land that is now, IMO, a wasteland? Trees that old and big may not grow back – with accelerated climate change it seems to me to be such careless arrogance to think we can just keep cutting and destroying and “it’ll all grow back.”
What’s wrong with going slow and respecting the curves? Why do we have to make straight lines out of everything, exacerbating our disconnect and disrespect of nature? I remain unconvinced that this project or any other upcoming Public Works road project is necessary or good. They took the money and now must pay their masters – is taking the grant monies worth it, or is the cost too high a price for the dollars?
Safer roads encourage recklessness? Hmmm…Paradox, or oxymoron? We’ll see… when we can compare the accident statistics and determine how many fewer deaths there will be.
At least more people (including locals) will be able to ride bicycles without feeling intimidated.