Crews closing section of SR 530, installing solar-powered reflectors

ARLINGTON — Transportation crews will soon be closing a two-mile section of SR 530 as they install solar-powered road reflectors.

Crews will close all lanes of the road between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20 and Saturday, Aug. 21, while they put in the reflectors between both entrances to Oso Loop Road between Arlington and Darrington.

Local traffic will be able to access the road during construction, while other traffic will be detoured to Oso Loop Road.

Closures will depend on the weather, Washington State Department of Transportation officials said.

Washington state is one of the first states to test the reflectors, which will be installed in the center line of the highway.

Each reflector contains and LED that automatically lights up at nighttime. The hope is that the reflectors will help improve driver visibility and reduce incidents involving drivers going off the road, transportation officials said, adding that the new reflectors provide 10 times greater visibility for drivers than traditional markers.

Crews chose the portion of roadway on SR 530 due to its history of run-off-the-road collisions.

“We often hear from drivers who are concerned about visibility in rain and snow,” said Dave McCormick, assistant regional administrator for WSDOT maintenance and operations. “We’re excited to test this cutting-edge technology to see whether it helps improve visibility and safety for drivers. If we get good results, we will look into using the reflectors on future safety projects.”

To see more photos of the test site where crews will be installing the reflectors, visit WSDOT's Flickr page.

A video of the site is also available by visiting YouTube.

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