Mysterious light saga continues

A flashing yellow light that used to hang over La Conner’s Maple Avenue at the intersection of Caledonia Street could cause the town extra work, whether or not it is replaced.

Town officials still haven’t figured out why it was there — the beacon had been flashing into the night as long as anyone could remember. The Public Works director was hoping that someone with historical knowledge of the artifact would come forward and, well, shed some light on it. But that hasn’t happened.

The light was hit on two occasions by a truck or heavy equipment, prompting its removal for liability reasons last month. The first time it was hit, it merely shifted position, but the second blow was fatal.

The issue came up at a recent Town Council meeting and Public Works Director Brian Lease told the council that removing the broken light may have altered the intersection and technically, when an intersection is altered, an analysis has to be done by a traffic engineer.

Lease estimated the total replacement cost, including the light and studies, could easily be $20,000 to $30,000. But he said it was possible the Washington State Department of Transportation could finance part of the cost.

“We’re still working on it,” Lease said Monday. The light’s mysterious story was featured in this newspaper two weeks ago. “After the article, I was hoping someone local would come forward with information on the light, but no one has,” Lease said.

Since its installation many years ago, the light seems to have been overlooked in at least three traffic studies done in La Conner, Lease said. There are no town traffic documents identifying the blinking light.

Lease said he’s trying to find out if the situation actually warrants any action, because the light was not a traffic control device. Its function is covered by existing signage since it was “just a warning” beacon, he said.

Though no one has come forth with information on why it was originally installed, Lease’s strong hunch is that it could have been to aid traffic decades ago when the Rainbow Bridge was built. If not for the circa 1957 bridge, perhaps it was to warn traffic years ago when the old pea cannery or the Moore

Clark plant was in operation.

Lease said traffic studies can take anywhere from months to a year to get data. He estimated that the earliest an analysis could begin is next month, but depending on their budget, it could take a year to complete everything. Based on his observations at the intersection, Lease says it would be fine to wait for the analysis if needed. He plans to update the council as more information comes in.

So far, “I don’t see any hazards,” he said.