Editor,

As a former member of the Aurora Corridor Safety Project committee, I have a deep understanding of the historic Aurora Bridge and the decision to implement the safety fence. This fence was authorized by the state Legislature and approved by the city’s Landmark Preservation Board, as the bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The primary goals of our committee were to improve pedestrian safety and introduce traffic calming measures along Aurora from the tunnel to the county line. While the Wednesday article (Sept. 11, “Suicide reignites bridge safety concerns”) provided thoughtful insight and important information from the state, it overlooked the impact on county resources, an issue I had previously discussed in detail with Andrea Petrich, former WSDOT North outreach coordinator.

For instance, Island Search and Rescue often deploys boats faster than Skagit County, and depending on where a body is recovered, either the Skagit or Island County Coroner is responsible for retrieval. While the State Patrol may respond, the burden frequently falls on the counties due to the unique jurisdictional issues. Aurora Bridge involves WSDOT, the City of Seattle and King County in different sections. During my time serving as block watch chair for that section of Aurora, I saw firsthand how these overlapping jurisdictions complicated enforcement and cleanup of encampments, graffiti and other such issues.

One of the incidents that ultimately secured the Aurora project was a tragedy where an individual missed the water and landed in a parking lot, causing severe trauma to an entire office that witnessed it. The ripple effects of such events cannot be ignored. At what point will we take further action?

I would welcome the opportunity to serve on another citizen committee to continue addressing these vital safety concerns in our community.

Teresa Addison

Oak Harbor