The view of SR141/Jewet, curving toward White Salmon proper just past the Mormon church. There are pedestrians and school bus stops often sharing the roadway with cars.
The view of SR141/Jewet, curving toward White Salmon proper just past the Mormon church. There are pedestrians and school bus stops often sharing the roadway with cars.
WHITE SALMON — Several citizens of White Salmon are concerned about the speeds around Pucker Huddle and are sending a petition to the Washington State Department of Transportation to request they lower the speed limits “to improve both development opportunities as well as the livability of existing residents,” according to a press release put together by the group.
The area in question is connected to SR141, and therefore not under the jurisdiction of the city, but it’s within the urban growth boundary of White Salmon and therefore many residential neighborhoods have been built in that area, causing high residential and tourist use along the route.
The current speed limit on Jewett heading northwest from downtown White Salmon is 30 mph. At the Mormon Church in Pucker Huddle, the speed limit increases to 45 mph until the Bald Mountain curves, when the suggested speed slows down again to 25-35 mph before increasing to 45 mph, and 55 mph at the turn for the Underwood Cut-off. Patty Fink, a White Salmon city councilor, referred to these changing speeds as a “patchwork [that] likely contributes to drivers continuing at higher speeds throughout the corridor.” Fink suggested drivers who prefer higher speeds should consider using SR141 Alternate, emphasizing that there too, caution is advised.
These roads are very winding, there are often deer and other animal crossings, and those unfamiliar with the roads may find the speed changes unexpected.
People in the neighborhood are particularly concerned with the 3/4 mile stretch from the Mormon Church to the Bald Mountain curves which is 45 mph, and includes the Loop Road interchange (including school buses), Grace Baptist church as well as the Church of Latter Day Saints and several housing development roads (Brislawn, Peck, SW Winebarger Road and Catalina) as well as numerous private driveways that intersect this portion of road.
“The main point of the petition is to show that the safety and livability does not match the current speed limit,” the press release continued. The specific goals for the petition which they hope to achieve through collaboration with WSDOT are as follows: improve overall livability along West Jewett Boulevard; increase safety for our community and the many tourists who bike and walk/run along this corridor; create easier to understand speed zones within White Salmon’s urban growth boundary and city limits.
A Washington State review done in October 2020 highlights road safety issues specifically, “Driver speed is directly linked to the likelihood of a crash and to crash severity.”
Currently, the group of petitioners has an excess of 80 properties in agreement to lowering the speed limit to 30 or 35 mph. They are looking for additional homes/properties that would like their name included to the list before handing the request over to WSDOT.
If you are interested in participating (you do not need to live along the corridor) contact:
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