New Road Has So Little Traffic, It's A Danger

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By By April Zepeda

Summary

Snohomish County's new Cathcart Way was designed for 30,000 cars a day, but actual traffic is a quarter of that, and it's attracting speeders.

Story Published: Aug 11, 2005 at 3:11 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jul 28, 2009 at 1:48 PM PDT

New Road Has So Little Traffic, It's A Danger
SNOHOMISH COUNTY - A new Snohomish County road is so under-used, it's actually a danger. Now the county is looking for money to crack down on the unsafe drivers who use it.

"If you build it, they will come" never rang true for Cathcart Way. The state spent $25 million dollars on the stretch of road to handle up to 30,000 cars a day.

But only 6,000-to-8,000 use it.

Neighbors say the empty road has become into an invitation for speeders.

"Absolutely, we walk the dog and actually stop taking him on the main road now because of the speed," said Heidi Lundin.

Snohomish County has received so many complaints about speeding, it's applied for a grant to pay for more emphasis patrols.

On Thursday, motorcycle deputies issued 22 speeding tickets in just 49 minutes.

"What we experience with less vehicles is greater speeds, because there's no one in front of you to slow you down," said Rich Neibush of the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

A roadside memorial is a grim reminder. One night as two cars raced side-by-side, one crossed the centerline and killed a tow truck driver.

Cathcart Way runs just south of the City of Snohomish. It was built to as the final leg of road to connect I-5 to Highway 9. But it turns out, drivers are avoiding Highway 9 because it's too congested, leaving the multi lanes of Cathcart Way underused.

"The main problem is them coming out here at midnight and two in the morning and racing up and down this street," said neighbor, Kathleen Boggess.

The speed limit 45 mph, but 60 mph is common during any part of the day. That earns drivers a $122 ticket if caught.

A small price for speeders who risk paying with their life, or someone else's.