The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has, once again, given other government agencies a lesson of how to be incomprehensibly incompetent. Can we expect anything less?
WSDOT crews, in preparation for launching the new I-405 express tolling scheme next week, began restriping lanes between Lynnwood and Bothell last Friday. But, a mechanical problem with a truck delayed progress. And, bad weather prevented the project from moving forward the rest of the weekend.
So, WSDOT postponed the work.
Now WSDOT will be forced to close a section of I-405 this Friday through Monday. The incompetent agency hopes that the work “can be complete before the freeway is down to two lanes so crews can get the express toll lanes up and running.”
The situation—closing lanes on the already notoriously congested I-405—is an absurd case of procrastination. WSDOT had all summer, a beautiful, sunny summer, to re-stripe I-405. Yet, the agency kept the project to the very last minute. That’s what has KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson annoyed. Via MyNorthwest.com,
“Dori Monson: They’ve had months and months to get the stripes down. They couldn’t do it. They start tolling on Sunday. They’ve had years and they couldn’t get it striped on time. It’s another example of how government can’t do anything right.
“Producer Jake Skorheim: Why are they painting in the rain?
“DM: And why are they doing it the last second, if they have known for years that this project was coming?
“JS: This is one of the nicest summers we’ve had and they look at the clouds and say, ‘hey, lets get this done.’
“But the closures are actually a good thing, a WSDOT spokesperson told KING 5. It’s a ‘long closure, but it will allow crews to finish up the striping,’ he said.
“DM: How long does it take to paint a stripe? You give me four buddies and a gift card to Sherwin-Williams and I’ll get it done in a few hours.”
Ladies and gentlemen, a textbook example of government inefficiency courtesy of Jay Inslee’s WSDOT.
must be related to enslee
Anyone who believes WSDOT to be efficient and effective, only needs to look at the garbage along every state highway and interstate in Washington to get the REAL truth about WSDOT. From the looks of trash and garbage along roadways, maybe we should rename Washing as the “Trashy State.”
Why can’t they put down temp road tape? The same stuff they use in Europe?
Government cannot do anything right. that is the nature of government. They are paid to waste money. Government “managers” are paid bonuses and given promotions based on wasting MORE money. That is quite opposite of private business which survives and promotes for efficiency and low cost. Government is incompetent in every possible way.