"Corrugated Striping"

Snohomish County has received a $1,700,000 federal safety grant to address the problem of vehicles drifting out of lanes or off the road in rural areas. The funds will be used to apply Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) striping along the centerlines and edges of:

• Jordan Road (between Arlington and Granite Falls
• Ben Howard Road (between Monroe and Sultan)
• 311th Avenue SE (Sultan area) 
• Pioneer Highway (Stanwood area)  
• Forty Five Road (Marysville area)    
• 67th Avenue NE (between Marysville and Arlington) 

MMA reflective striping can be installed with a raised profile that provides a rumble effect when vehicles stray out of their lanes,or it can be installed as conventional, smooth striping. A national study in 2008 found that 60% of all traffic fatalities were caused by vehicles leaving the edge of the roadway or veering into oncoming traffic. Stripes with raised profiles are more reflective at night and in wet weather than smooth striping, and delineate more clearly the centerlines and edges of a road.      

MMA striping also has a longer life expectancy than traditional paint, and is very resistant to snow plow damage.  The project will include the application of this special striping along approximately 38 miles of road to replace painted lines.

The county proposes to target roads that have a history of accidents where vehicles have strayed off the edge of the roadway or crossed the centerline. Application of the striping is currently planned for the summer of 2012 and 2013.

Contact

Tina Hokanson, Communications Specialist, (425) 388-3789