PORT ANGELES — U.S. Highway 101 may be in store for a safety improvement.
Clallam County Sheriff Joe Martin said Tuesday that the state Department of Transportation is considering installing flexible posts along the highway’s “S” curve east of town.
It’s the stretch of road where three men died last week in a vehicle collision.
Ian Clayton Rolley, 45; his son, Jeremy Clayton Rolley, 21; and Jeremy’s best friend, Jonathan Jeffrey “J.J.” Brewer, 21, were declared dead at the scene last Wednesday after a station wagon crossed the centerline near Deer Park Cinemas and struck the front corner of the 1974 Ford pickup driven by Ian Rolley.
The disabled pickup then rolled into oncoming traffic and was struck by a larger truck, killing all three men.
A Port Angeles man was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide, but no charges have been filed.
Low-cost solution
Martin said while the state considers installing concrete barriers in the median, a low-cost, short-term solution like flexible posts should be considered.
“We’ve got to do something now until we get a better fix later on,” he said.
The posts, which are used to separate lanes of traffic on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, are being considered for the task, said Department of Transportation spokesman Lloyd Brown.
Traffic engineers with the department are currently looking at all fixes to improve safety on that stretch of road and could have an array of options in September.
Brown said that the department is “not turning a deaf ear,” but it is looking at finding the best possible solution.
“The question is what makes sense in terms of being good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” he said.