Speed limits could change in Electric City area

Speed limits through Electric City may change, following a recent review by a state highway official working with the mayor.

The Electric City Council last week discussed potential speed limit changes along SR-155 on the edges of the city, as well as through the city where it's called Coulee Boulevard. 

Mayor Diane Kohout explained at the Oct. 13 council meeting that she has been working with Scott Cervine from the Washington State Department of Transportation's North Central Region Traffic Regulations division, from whom a letter was included in the meeting's agenda packet.

After driving the stretch of highway multiple times and getting a feel for what is appropriate, Cervine suggested a slightly more gradual slowdown coming into the city from the south but settling into a slower speed through town.

Approaching Electric City from the south along SR-155 would then have a 60 mph speed limit that reduces to 50, then 40 from Sunbanks Lake Resort to the state DOT building. 

"We think that is closer to what drivers are traveling at," Cervine wrote.

Cervine didn't feel it would be a problem to lower the speed limit on the city's main drag from 35 to 30 mph, Kohout relayed to the council.

The stretch from the Coulee Playland area heading north toward Grand Coulee could be reduced from 45 to 40 mph, creating a consistent 40 mph speed limit in the "transition zones," Cervine's letter stated.

Kohout had wanted to reduce the limit from 45 down to 30 mph between Electric City and Grand Coulee, but she said Cervine felt the open spaces make drivers want to speed up, with the general feel of a road and observation of traffic helping inform the DOT's decisions on these matters.

A pathway being planned for that stretch could convince the DOT to reduce the speed limit further, down to 35 mph, Kohout said.

Currently, the speed limit heading from Electric City toward Grand Coulee changes near Coulee Playland, making it more difficult for customers there to turn out onto the highway, so the speed limit sign could possibly move further north to make it easier to leave Coulee Playland, Kohout said.

The council generally agreed with wanting a lower speed limit within the city, as well as heading toward Grand Coulee, but Councilmember Cate Slater said she enjoyed going 45 mph between Electric City and Grand Coulee, although she is fine with it going down to 40.

Slater also suggested getting public input on the potential changes somehow in the future, which the council agreed with, saying a large part of what got them elected was their wanting to work with the people.