Opinion - Highway 195 still needs attention

Everyone has a story.

Casual comments about incidents on Highway 195 always lead to an outpouring of new stories about crazy passing and narrow escapes.

After the spate of traffic deaths on the highway several years ago, nothing has changed on the road, except for the addition of rumble strips.

Repeatedly, drivers recount close calls and dangerous situations stemming from illegal and unsafe passing on the two-lane sections of the highway.

For regular users of 195, it is not unusual to have to take to the shoulder to avoid on-coming vehicles. Defensive driving is the key.

The fundamental danger of the highway rests with the long stretches without passing lanes or turnouts. Impatient drivers often take ridiculous risks to get around slower traffic. The many curves and dips and hills also add to the danger.

No improvements for the highway, such as widening it to four lanes or even adding passing lanes, are in the works. The official story has been that traffic is not heavy enough on 195 to justify widening it or spending much more on it than maintenance requires. The state has other needs.

Still, 195 is the major north-south route in eastern Washington. It carries a good volume of traffic. That traffic is mixed. Farm equipment, long haulers, sightseers, travellers and local residents all share the highway. The new Idaho road outside Genesee or the new Pullman/Moscow corridor road are good examples of what 195 could and should be.

Reportedly, much of the land needed to widen long stretches of the highway has already been purchased. This being the case, the widening to four lanes or the addition of spaced passing lanes could be done without buying more land. At least that is what one state politician said.

No road can be made perfectly safe because all drivers cannot be made to drive perfectly, but the highway does need improvements. Some of the most urgent improvements could be well within the state’s limited budget.

The changes are not to make irresponsible driving safer. They must be undertaken to make responsible driving safer.

Gordon Forgey, Publisher