Our traffic data shows the roads could be busy this weekend and next. The busiest days: Sunday, July 1 and Sunday, July 8. The travel experts at AAA Washington have said they think people will take the whole week off and predict a record number of people will travel this week.

Our Incident Response Teams and maintenance crews won’t be taking the week off. They will be out on the highways clearing roads and helping drivers.

Be prepared, drive smart and stay safe.

Our partners at the Washington State Patrol will be on the highways looking for irresponsible drivers (pdf 32 KB). "Troopers will be focusing on dangerous behaviors, known to cause injuries and fatalities in our state," said WSP Chief John R. Batiste. "Do your part this Fourth of July to celebrate safely - be prepared, be safe, and be responsible."

The Washington State Ferries are also gearing up for a busy weekend. If you are going on a ferry, you must know the rules for carrying explosive devices, like fireworks.

Enjoy your celebration of our nation's Independence Day. If you are one of the lucky ones, use your days off to spend some time with family and friends. See a parade, have a barbeque or just relax and recharge.

As we say here at WSDOT "Know Before You Go", so be sure to check our Statewide Traveler Information site for travel alerts and slowdowns.

Just a little bit of preparation can make the holiday so much better. Enjoy.

Last night a terrible tragedy occurred. A worker in a construction zone was struck and killed by a driver who swerved into him. A second worker was also hit and is luckily resting at home.

It's a scary reminder of what we already know.

We have all been guilty of taking that unnecessary risk while driving. A momentary lapse in focus, reaching down to adjust the stereo, turning our head momentarily to check on the kids in the back, look over to see what that is on the side of the road, only to look up and all of a sudden that car in front of us is much closer that expected.

We drive so often that we forget that a simple risky behavior can sometimes change lives. In this case, for the driver and the family of the worker it is a night that will never be forgotten.

The driver was arrested for Investigation of Vehicular Homicide (possible alcohol involved). They could go to jail and will have to live the rest of their life knowing they killed a person.

Lets all take this opportunity to take a second and reflect on our own driving habits, for the sake of our own families and the families of those who risk their lives every day improving the safety of the conditions of the roadways, which we often take for granted.

Let's not forget this worker and millions of others out there across the country working right now.

“Our hearts go out to his family. He was one of the good guys," said Brian Nielsen, WSDOT.

More than half of the people responding to a May 2007 WSDOT sponsored telephone survey said they recalled seeing or hearing some kind of message about driving in construction zones in the last six months. That's the good news.

The survey of 400 residents living in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties also found that just about half of the sample population knew that traffic fines are doubled in work zones. That's good news, too.

But for as much as the survey highlighted the large number of people who know about the dangers of driving recklessly through construction zones, we all need to do a better job of getting the word around. If only half the population is hearing the message, the other half isn't. And, if you've driven through a work zone recently (my bet is that you probably have), than you've seen what I'm talking about.

High speeds, randomly changing lanes with a cell phone jammed to their ear ... maybe a burrito sitting on their lap ... Too many drivers just don't understand the meaning of the orange signs and orange barrels of the highway work zones.

Here's the irony. Most people injured in work zones are drivers and their passengers. It's dangerous work for the men and women working on our state roads, especially when cars are racing past at 65 mph. But it's even more dangerous for the person ignoring all reason and crashing in a work zone. Those events rarely end well.

To try and get drivers' attention, WSDOT and its contractors will be using extra signs in work zones this summer to warn you to slow down and "Give 'em a Brake." The Washington State Patrol is helping out, enforcing traffic regulations. Speeding or inattentive drivers in work zones could face speeding fines of up to $700 and a 60-day license suspension. The issue is important enought that Gov. Gregoire and NASCAR driver, Greg Biffle, last year helped WSDOT produce a public service announcement (watch it on YouTube.com) promoting work zone safety.

The people who are working on our roads have families - children, wives and husbands, grandchildren. Like many other public servants working a dangerous job, they want to do good work and they want to go home at the end of the day or night.

I know if you're reading this blog that you already care about this issue. So do me and my colleagues a favor - tell your crazy race-car-loving goof-ball of a friend to slow down and give the workers a brake.

They aren't glamorous. But, for those of us with an aversion to truck stop restrooms, the typical safety rest area is as beautiful as an oasis in the most arid of lands.

Through the years driving the state's highways and across the West, I've become somewhat of a connoisseur of rest areas. Washington's facilities are clean and functional. They are, in a word or two, very well maintained. And, these facilities are also well used.

Believe it or not, 21.5 million ... yes, the "m" with the "illion," made a pit stop at a safety rest area somewhere in Washington in 2006. That's more than 200,000 more than in 2005.

The Toutle River rest area in Cowlitz County saw nearly 3.3 million visits last year. Indian John Hill on I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass had more than 2 million visitors in 2006. Even the Telford rest area in Lincoln County had 145,000 visits.

So the next time you visit a safety rest area and spot a WSDOT maintenance worker keeping the place nice, tell him or her how much you appreciate their effort. Without them, we might all be lining up at the truck stop.

My name is Michael MacDonald and I work in the environmental section of WSDOT. My job is to make sure WSDOT projects and critters get along. This is a real thrill for me in general but it gets especially exciting every year about this time when I climb out to the underside of the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge to band juvenile peregrine falcons.

I’ve been anticipating the bird nesting season all winter. The coordination was set up with Bridge Maintenance and members of the Falcon Research Group. We were meeting near the Northgate Mall parking lot as we have for the past five years. We schedule the visit to coincide with a lull in traffic and just before the I-5 express lanes send traffic north.

After a safety briefing, donning a body harness, a last minute check of banding equipment, and plan of attack, we load into the truck followed by the safety of the big bumper truck.

It’s exciting to reach the drop off point mid-span of the bridge. I mentally prepare myself going down the ladder on the outside of the bridge with the 80-foot plus drop to the park below. My redundant safety lanyard clips on and off the metal rungs as I descend 30ish feet until I reach the pier cap. As my feet touch the massive concrete the male falcon is on us. Floating in the wind at eye level, the smaller male “cacks” a defensive warning. He’s the same resident male and in the past he’s played a role in defending his newborn chicks. He gets your attention while the larger female goes in for the strike from behind. I turn to see where she is, hoping I can find her before she hits me. Luckily she’s perched 50 feet away at the other end of the pier cap and gives me enough time to orient myself and check on the decent of my companions. We’re all down and clicked on to the safety cable before she takes her first crack at us. Three of us are exposed to the unhindered flyway and she predictably takes advantage of it scraping her talons across our helmets and shoulders. We’ve learned to counter her attacks with in a Mary Poppins fashion. We may look silly sporting the umbrella but it’s effective to confuse and frustrate her as she tries to bully her way through the material.

I quickly round up the four youngsters found huddled in a gap and gently put them into a sack. They act as if they’re world is about to end and I’m sure they’re questioning why their F-15 mother isn’t destroying the intruders as she’s done on every other occasion. Despite being only 21 days from a peep in the shell they take their shots as best they can and clamp onto my bare fingers several startling times. I’m concentrating on not hurting the fragile fresh blood-filled fluffy feathers but also trying to anticipate the pummeling I’m about to take.

Momma is going berserk and finally gets a clean shot at my back sinking her talons through three layers but barely grazes the skin. She gains speed and clips me again. Then grabs my helmet edge with her talons and strokes her wings as if she’s trying to lift it off so she can have a really good whack at me. Good thing it’s strapped on. With the babies bundled up and quiet now Momma stands by the nest box and looks around forlornly for where her babies may be. We clamp metal unique ID bands on both lower legs of the juveniles. Once more I leave myself wide open for a drubbing as I return them to their cubbyhole. Momma flaps around but doesn’t take a shot this time. We leave for the ladder 20 minutes later and we’re back up to the bridge deck where our ride awaits right on schedule.

I hope at least one of the youngsters will survive to adulthood and carry on the genes of Bell and Stewart, their grandparents from the Washington Mutual Tower.

People ask me why we band the falcons and what falcons have to do with road and bridge building. We try to be good stewards of the environment. With the falcons, we are in a unique position. They like our bridges. Our bridges like them. They help us keep the bridge clear and pest free. In exchange, we help track the juveniles so experts can learn more about their life and, in turn, we can help rejuvenate their species which only recently came off the threatened species list.



By Michael MacDonald