Kittitas County commissioners direct Public Works to clear sight lines and pursue striping at No. 6 Road intersection

KITTITAS COUNTY — Kittitas County commissioners heard a Public Works briefing on June 23 about crash mitigation options at the intersection of No. 6 Road and Kittitas Highway and directed staff to remove a sight-line obstruction and put selected pavement markings in place after a scheduled county chip-seal project.

Public Works engineer Josh Fredrickson outlined five options including transverse optical speed bars, painted “Stop Ahead” legends, rumble strips, illuminated warning signs and changing the centerline to double yellow approaching the intersection. “This may be an effective measure with an estimated cost of $2,000 per year and does require annual maintenance,” Fredrickson said of the optical speed bars, a transverse pavement marking intended to create a perception of increased speed and thereby encourage drivers to slow.

Officials discussed trade-offs among the options. Vice Chairman Cory Wright asked whether painting a “Stop Ahead” legend should accompany the markings; Fredrickson cautioned that combining too many visual cues in a short distance could overload drivers. Fredrickson also reported that previous traffic rumble strips “were implemented in the past but eventually filled in,” and both Wright and Commissioner Brett Wachsmith agreed not to pursue rumble strips at this time.

Fredrickson described illuminated “Stop Ahead” signs that would light up when traffic approaches, noting they typically need a permanent power source and a radar unit and carry higher installation costs. He provided a broad estimate of $10,000 to $72,000 per sign and said No. 6 Road would require two signs (one for each direction). He also said removing a white vinyl fence on the southeast corner of the right-of-way — subject to the property owner’s approval — would improve sight distance at the intersection.

After the presentation the board provided direction for Public Works to proceed with removal of obstructions from the right-of-way and to implement both the Speed Reduction Markings and the Alternative Striping Plan (changing a portion of the approach from a single dashed centerline to double yellow) once the county’s chip-seal project is completed. The minutes record the meeting concluding at 1:47 p.m.

The discussion did not include formal votes or ordinance numbers; cost estimates were presented as ranges and are subject to confirmation during design and procurement.