On Sept. 16 and 17, WSDOT cut southbound SR 302 between the Purdy Bridge and Burnham Drive to one lane and turned the right lane into a shared-use path. The change followed the February crash that killed a driver turning left from Burnham onto northbound 302.
That crash deserved a response, and part of this project is one. WSDOT now bans that left turn from Burnham. WSDOT’s own review found roundabouts feasible at both Purdy intersections, but they are unfunded. The lane cut is a different matter. It ends before the Burnham and Goodnough intersection, where the road opens back up to three southbound lanes. WSDOT says the lane cut is meant to slow drivers and prevent last-minute merging near SR 16.
For Key Peninsula residents, SR 302 is the only practical way off the peninsula. Eastbound drivers turning right onto Purdy Drive used to have their own lane. Now they zipper merge into the through lane, and the morning backup on the Purdy Spit costs time none of us had to spare…