SAMMAMISH, Wash. — A barricade is dividing more than just a Sammamish community.
It’s a decade-long issue polarizing the community.
Neighbors on both sides are fighting for the same goal, which is a safer neighborhood.
But how to get there is sparking a contentious debate.
Greg Reynolds has been fighting for the last 13 years to remove the 42nd Street barricade.
“For the safety of all neighborhoods, we need to have dual routes of access,” Reynolds explained.
The gate separates the Timberline Park and Waterbrook neighborhoods. It opens for emergency vehicles only.
“But it still takes time and it really cuts down on their response time,” Mary North added. She would also like to see the gate removed.
There are around 400 homes and 1,600 residents affected by the barricade.
Waterbrook resident Bob Seidensticker said it's safer to keep the gate closed. He said there are steep hills on the Waterbrook side and fears the extra traffic.
“We all drive here, we're neighbors, we’re concerned about the kids,” Seidensticker said. “We do it all the time. We understand where the blind corners are.”
According to the Sammamish Public Works Department, the original barricade was installed in the 1990s before the city incorporated in 1999.
The city installed the opticom gate in 2005 so emergency vehicles could get through.
Because of the gate, some neighbors say they're going out of their way 2 miles, possibly even 15 minutes to get to and from work.
“That creates a higher risk for our residents to be injured in an accident because they're traveling three times the mileage for the same route,” Reynolds said.
Others say opening the barricade will open a floodgate of more serious issues.
“Someone is going to get killed,” Richard Kuprewicz added.
The Sammamish City Council recently passed a resolution saying the gate would stay but they'd consider studying it later down the road. The Council, however, didn't give a timeline or funding for the project.
KIRO
