Construction of N. Samish Way

In the darkening days of fall, construction continues on N. Samish Way to create safer passageways for pedestrians.

                On Oct. 1, 2012, the N. Samish Way Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Improvement construction job began as a part of the Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program in the city of Bellingham. According to the Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program, construction on N. Samish Way is being done to place two flashing crosswalks – one at the crossing of N. Samish and Abbott and the other at N. Samish and Consolidation.

                Shane Oden, a public engineer for the city of Bellingham, said the construction job is beginning its fifth week of work, and is hopefully going to be 100 percent finished by the holidays.

                As the job stands now, certain sections of the five-lane highway are coned off, forcing vehicles to merge into left lanes, while also forcing pedestrians to walk around the construction into the road.

                Margo Madison, who said she often finds herself walking along the sidewalks on N. Samish Way, believes the construction is presenting possible safety concerns.  

                “The road construction makes it more dangerous because sometimes you have to walk into the street [to get by],” Madison said. “It’s like playing Russian roulette.”

Bellingham city council member and Ward 5 representative Terry Bornemann recognized these concerns, but said the construction is something that must be done to make the road a safer place for pedestrians.  Bornemann also said the changes being made are because N. Samish Way is an extremely dangerous road to cross, which is why the crosswalks are needed.

                According to the 2010 Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Grant Application Form, N. Samish Way sees an average of 12,900 vehicles a day. According to that same document, between 2007-10 there were five crashes reported on N. Samish Way, including three vehicle/pedestrian crashes and two vehicle/bicyclists crashes.

                “It’s a dangerous place to cross and it’s a long ways in between [the two sidewalks],” Bornemann said. “[The crosswalks] are going to make it safer while drivers will be more aware of pedestrians.”

                Bornemann said the crosswalks are going to be lit with flashing lights to alert oncoming traffic of a crossing pedestrian. He also said there will be an island in the middle lane for pedestrian to wait for traffic to pass.

But pedestrians aren’t the only ones being affected by the sections of lane closures on the busy five-lane road.

                Brewed Awakening, a coffee shop located directly next to one of the merging lanes of N. Samish Way, is also seeing the drawbacks from the construction, said Christie Shiels, an employee who’s worked at Brewed Awakening for six years.

                Shiels said although her location isn’t extremely busy, she has recognized a drop in business since the construction has begun.

                “Usually when Western comes back, we’re a lot busier,” Shiels said. “But that hasn’t been the case this year.”

                The construction of crosswalks is just a part of the renovations taking place.

 Part of the plan instituting these changes, as written in the grant application, is to increase public awareness about crosswalk safety and driving responsibly.

                Putting in the crosswalks is just the beginning of the Samish Way Urban Village Plan, Bornemann said. 

                According to the Samish Way Urban Village Subarea Plan proposed in November of 2009, Samish Way will be slowly transformed into a “gateway to Bellingham.” The plan outlined a plan that could potentially add 1,291 housing units and 612,250 square feet designated for commercial use by 2022.

                “It’s all part of eventual development in that particular area,” Bornemann said.