By Dan Richman
Staff Reporter
Speed limits on 10 Whidbey and Camano roads may change after public meetings scheduled for Aug. 17 and 18.
The Board of Island County Commissioners on July 28 set public hearings on new speed limits for Bayview Road, Burley Road, Engle Road, Fox Spit Road, French Road, Juniper Beach Road, Langley Road, Smugglers Cove Road, Swede Hill Road and Terry Road.
“It’s unusual to have so many proposed changes at once,” said Connie Bowers, the assistant county engineer, on Monday. “We had a large number of change requests and a vacant position that slowed things down.”
A hearing is scheduled to discuss changes to two Central Whidbey roads — Engle and Terry — is set for 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18 in the commissioners’ hearing room, 1 N.E. 6th St., Coupeville.
On Central Whidbey, a proposal calls for cutting the speed limit on Engle Road from 50 mph to 35 mph, between Coupeville town limits and Fort Casey Road.
A proposal would set a 20-mph speed limit on Terry Road in Coupeville within the school zone and include posting flashing lights during set times when school is in session.
That hearing will also address speed on Juniper Beach, a Camano Island Road.
Hearings on all the other proposed road changes are 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17 at Trinity Lutheran Church’s new building.
For Camano Island, requests reducing the speed limit to 35 mph on Juniper Beach Road, from its intersection with Smith Road to a half mile westerly, and to 45 mph from its intersection with State Highway 532 westerly a half mile.
Proposals dealing with South Whidbey roads are as follows:
n Increase the speed limit from 35 to 40 along Bayview Road from State Highway 525 to Ewing Road.
n Cut the speed limit from 50 mph to 25 mph along the entire length of Burley Road. This change coincides with an upcoming project at the intersection of Burley and Swede Hill roads.
n Cut the speed limit of Fox Spit Road to 35 mph from milepost 0.00, the intersection with Saratoga Road, to MP 1.11, and to 20 mph from MP 1.11 to MP 1.81.
n Cut the speed of French Road to 45 mph from Maxwelton to Cultus Bay roads.
n Retain the speed of Langley Road near the fairgrounds at 25 mph during some hours when the fair is open to the public, and retain the limit at 45 mph roughly between Maxwelton and Sandy Point roads. Raise to 50 mph, from 35 mph, one section of the road near Waterman’s Mill.
n Increase the limit on Smuggler’s Cover Road from 40 mph to 50 mph, except between a half mile north of Lagoon Point Road and half mile south of Lagoon Point Road.
n Cut the speed on Swede Hill Road to 25 mph or 35 mph, depending on location.
