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I-90 merge is dangerous

The population and, thus, the traffic in southwest Spokane is growing. Anyone living in Eagle Ridge, Qualchan Hills or the Ridge at Hangman must drive U.S. 195 to the Interstate 90 merge to get to downtown, the North Side or Spokane Valley.

A road sign right before this merge point states “Congested Area Ahead.” No kidding.

This has to be the shortest on-ramp on I-90. There is no dedicated lane for cars entering the freeway, so many times you must come to a full stop and then gun it to immediately merge into 60 mph traffic. The risk of being rear-ended as you wait for this opportunity is another huge concern, especially when the roads are wet or icy.

When a road surfacing project was underway a few years ago, orange barrels blocked this far right merge lane for several hundred feet and this created a much safer confluence. We really need the barrels back, and maybe a road sign urging eastbound cars on I-90 to merge left to allow incoming traffic. This seems like a cheap fix to a very serious problem.

Jim Rhoades

Spokane



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