City planners in Washougal think some Slim Fast and exercise is just the ticket for one hazardous road. Ok, maybe not slim fast, but their $8.4 Million plan does call for slimming E-Street from 6th to 33rd by 2010 . . . taking the four-laner down to three with a roundabout halfway through.
The proactive and motorist-friendly approach is due to rampant speeding and rear end accidents that have occurred on the stretch of asphalt in recent history. Admittedly, drivers won’t be able to go as fast as they’re used to, BUT planners say that will be offset by wait time.
Apparently, some of the intersections are backed up so bad drivers can be stuck waiting for a full minute before they can move along (may not seem like much but time yourself the next time you’re at a stop light and see how long 60 seconds feels). That problem will only get worse if something’s not done . . . some estimates say as long as three minutes in a decade or two. With the improvements, that wait drops to about 10 seconds.
