Over the last 30 plus years, I have witnessed the increase in pedestrians, bicyclists, boats, trucks and traffic on West Sequim Bay Road.
Chains of four or more vehicles are common.
I’ve seen West Sequim Bay Road used as an alternative route for U.S. Highway 101 after a collision closes the highway.
Presently, just south of the entrance to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, there are two dead deer lying off the roadway.
For the last 10 years, there have been no traffic studies for West Sequim Bay Road from Washington Harbor to the John Wayne Marina.
But what determines safety for a road like West Sequim Bay Road? Is it the number of accidents involving deer? Is it the number of people injured or dead? Is it the wait time for a vehicle at an intersection? Or is it a liability lawsuit filed against the city of Sequim?
Can today’s West Sequim Bay Road accommodate the vehicles and trucks inherent in a new 650-unit development? Can the road also accommodate another development, another Mariners Outlook, with additional vehicles from 82 more homes?
The city of Sequim must account for the actual number of vehicles and trucks that will be added onto West Sequim Bay Road in the future.
What accommodations should be made to West Sequim Bay Road? And who will bear the costs?
E. Randy Tierney
Sequim