Date:
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Contact:
Jerry Althauser, WSDOT Maintenance, 206-768-5876
Trooper Jeff Merrill, Washington State Patrol, 425-766-0812
Meghan Soptich, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4455
SEATTLE – Look for new “No Parking” signs on area highways in the coming months. WSDOT and the Washington State Patrol are expanding the tow-away zone to improve safety for drivers. WSDOT crews recently finished installing new signs on I-5 from Boeing Access Road in South Seattle to the Pierce County line and on I-90 from Seattle to Sunset Way in Issaquah. Washington State Troopers will now begin enforcing the restriction.
“It’s not safe for drivers to try to fix their vehicles on the side of the road,” explained WSDOT Maintenance Superintendent Jerry Althauser. “We do what we can to help get drivers off the road quickly. If we need to have the vehicle towed to get them out of danger, that’s what we’ll do.”
On routes with the tow-away zone designation, vehicles parked or abandoned on the shoulder of the roadway can be towed immediately. On other routes, abandoned vehicles can be towed after 24 hours.
“We see so many collisions that involve a vehicle parked on the shoulder of the road, or re-entering the road from the shoulder,” said WSP Trooper Jeff Merrill. “The tow-away zone allows us to move those vehicles off the shoulder and avoid more serious collisions.”
The tow-away zone is already in place on I-5 from Boeing Access Road to Northgate, on I-405 from I-5 to SR 520, on SR 520 from I-5 to I-405 and on SR 518 from SR 99 to I-5.
“We’ve seen great results in those areas,” said Althauser. “We know that this restriction helps keep drivers safe, so we expect to see similar benefits as we expand it to other roadways.”
WSDOT and WSP implemented the tow-away zone on I-5 between Boeing Access Road and Northgate in November 1999. The stretch of interstate saw a 23 percent drop in collisions involving parked vehicles on the shoulder and a 16 percent drop in total collisions. We saw similar results on I-405 between I-5 and SR 169, where collisions involving parked vehicles on the shoulder dropped 67 percent after we implemented the tow-away zone in April 2002.
The tow-away zone also improves access for emergency responders and reduces congestion. Experience shows that drivers naturally slow down or change lanes as they approach a vehicle on the shoulder.
Crews will next begin installing signs on I-5 north of Northgate and I-405 north of SR 520. Visit our Web site for a map of existing and future tow-away zones: www.wsdot.wa.gov/northwest/towaway.
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