Left turn barriers on Main Street are still in the works

City of Ferndale Public Works Director Kevin Renz said the plan to install delineators on Main Street between I-5 and LaBounty Drive to prevent left-hand turns is still in the works.

During the November 5th regular City Council meeting, Renz said the project announced in May had been delayed after the city was contacted by a concerned property owner. The unnamed property owner hired their own traffic engineers to assess the situation given concerns about impacts to customer access to the businesses south of Main Street.

According to an announcement by the city in May, flexible plastic “traffic delineators” would be installed along the southside of the westbound left-turn lane from the intersection with LaBounty Drive east past the driveway into the NAPA Auto Parts and former Bob’s Burgers parking lots. This was in response to concerns expressed to Renz by Ferndale Police Chief Kevin Turner after injury crashes occurred in the area.

Renz said that after considering the property owner’s concerns, the city determined the best traffic mitigation strategy was preventing the left turns. But Renz noted the owner continues to have concerns over the potential impact to businesses. “We have committed to working cooperatively with them to increase signage and use our social media to highlight the change in the traffic pattern and make that as painless as possible for everybody,” Renz said.

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Once the delineators are installed, drivers wanting to get to or from the businesses south of Main Street will need to do so via the nearby intersection of LaBounty Drive and Main Street where left turns are controlled by an electronic traffic signal.

Whatcom Transportation Authority bus route 27 has been changed in anticipation of the traffic revision. Buses on that route used to make the left turn off of Main Street and drive through parking lots to the south in order to pick up riders heading westbound on LaBounty Drive. The route no longer includes the LaBounty Drive bus stop and buses stay on Main Street continuing west to bus stops there instead.

Renz said the project to install the delineators has been scheduled to occur sometime in December and is weather dependent.