I read Mr. Thomas Sprague’s letter to the editor regarding the Snoqualmie Parkway and found it short on history and extremely amusing. First on history: Long before the parkway (defined as a broad landscaped thoroughfare), Highway 18 was built from I-5 to I-90 by the state of Washington with the idea that at sometime it would be extended to Highway 202.

In the 1960s, Forward Thrust, a King County voted bond issue, was passed. One of the promises for Upper Snoqualmie Valley was to extend Highway 18. However the money was spent elsewhere. The city of Snoqualmie pushed King County in the late ’70s to build this section. (At the time I was mayor of Snoqualmie.) The Weyerhaeuser woods’ manager at that time supported this even though he was concerned about the pressure put on this tree-growing area (Where have all the trees gone?). It would take the trucks out of the city business district for safety, saving fuel cost and time.

When Snoqualmie Ridge was proposed (I was on the Planning Commission at that time), many Snoqualmie citizens supported it for these very reasons, and there was much discussion about the traffic flow and how it would change.

Mr. Sprague states, “I am sure it was not the intention of the city to create a well-landscaped parkway only to have it become the busiest and noisiest truck route in King County.” I can assure him that the development arm of the Weyerhaeuser Co. understood that the traffic-flow studies showed that trucks would use this new road. When an area has only one road through it, all traffic must use it. When an additional road is built, drivers will use what is most convenient for moving in and out of the area.

Secondly, Mr. Sprague writes, “These huge truck trailers with loads upward of 100,000 pounds could not stop in an emergency in less than a quarter mile.” The state of Washington’s Department of Licensing’s manual breaks down the stopping time for that type of truck going 55 mph as: perception distance of 60 feet, reaction distance of 60 feet, breaking distance of 170 feet, for a total of 290 feet.

We are all concerned about safety. The parkway is a four-lane divided highway at 35 mph. The city has a two-lane highway going through both business and residential areas. There are about 10 cross streets as well as school buses using it to cover three schools. In addition, Highway 202 (Railroad Avenue) has numerous parked cars backing into traffic throughout the day. This route is now over-crowded.

This gentleman is concerned about the noise level in his new home. Perhaps before buying his townhouse he should have spent more time checking out the pluses and minuses inside and out before buying. I suggest he check his walls to see if they were insulated. Well, sir, there is a saying, “Buyer beware; you bought it, you got it.” As an old Snoqualmie resident to a new Snoqualmie resident, you are always welcome to stop by for a cup of coffee.

Charles Peterson

Snoqualmie