That one Wauna curves guardrail. Yes, that infamous one. It has been a stoic symbol of resilience on the Key Peninsula for the last three years.
All it can do is sit there, steadfastly, between mileposts 13.9 and 14 on westbound State Route 302. Waiting to be the next crash victim. Again.
If there are any positive vibes to send its way, it’s that it has already met its annual quota for bends, bangs, bumps and bruises. Then again, it’s only May.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, this unfortunate guardrail has already needed repairs or replacement three times this year. The same guardrail was hit three times in 2023 and another three times in 2022. That’s an average of about once every three months since 2021.
This guardrail’s main job was seemingly to protect westbound drivers from veering off the right side of the road as SR 302 curves left, but now it seems more like it is protecting an innocent power pole and hapless blackberry brambles from distracted drivers.