Editorial: Be prepared for small delays during BB16 work

There's nothing worse than leaving a long, stressful day at work only to be stuck in traffic because of an accident or construction. The average American traveler spends an entire workweek stuck in traffic annually, according to the 2009 Urban Mobility Report.

With that in mind, is it fair to get white-knuckled and irked over the sight of traffic cones and “find alternate route” signs around Gig Harbor in anticipation for the commencement of the Burnham-Borgen state Route 16 interchange project? No.

The $6.41 million project is the very one that attempts to decrease travel time and make that commute home a little more pleasant.

City officials have determined construction will delay commute time by less than five minutes — a far cry from the backups we sat through when we only had one Narrows bridge. A delay that short is hardly enough to get worked up over.

Slip lanes from Canterwood Boulevard to SR 16, and from SR 16 to Burnham Drive, will allow vehicles to bypass the large roundabout. Both off-ramps also will widen by one lane to accommodate traffic flow. Even the small roundabout will get a makeover: It’ll be widened by one lane.

Admittedly, these are interim changes that won’t permanently fix the interchange, but city officials are busy working on a long-term fix. It’s also unfair for commuters to lash out at the city for not doing enough to inform the public about the project. In fact, the city has held five public meetings since Jan. 21 with the hope that it could inform the public about the project.

Gig Harbor Project Engineer Marcos McGraw is a public official, and he’s got his work e-mail and phone number posted on the city’s Web site. If you don’t understand something in regard to the project, he’s your guy. The city’s Web site also is a resource for those hungry for updates. Periodic project updates and downloadable renderings of the project are available there, too.

And if you don’t feel like checking the city’s Web site all the time, you can sign up to receive automatic updates whenever the city releases new information.

Signs asking commuters to find alternate routes have been placed around the city with the hope that commuters will get a bug in their ear. City officials say ramp closures will be kept to a minimum: They’re only going to occur during low-traffic hours between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

If you need to use interchange in the next year, be prepared to wait a few extra minutes. But also be thankful that’s it’s not shut down completely.

If you prefer alternate routes, spend the next week or so carving out your new BB16-less commute. While you’re at it, try to share your new route with other motorists.

Construction is never fun. But grievances and complaints that come from road rage and lack of community involvement are not warranted. There’s nothing worse. So stay calm, stay involved with city meetings and stay sane on the roadways.