DOT Crews Installing ‘Mumble Strips’ On SR-28

Road construction is now underway on over ten miles of State Route 28 between East Wenatchee and Rock Island.

The work is divided into two sections and includes paving, re-striping, and general repairs.

Washington State Department of Transportation spokesperson Lauren Loebsack says crews are also updating another critical feature of the highway.

"In some sections we will be updating the existing rumble strips to what's called a sinusoidal rumble strip. That design makes it quieter for the people who live around the area of the highway. So when cars drive over it, the external noise it produces is not as great but it still gives the same warning of a standard rumble strip to drivers."

Loebsack says the new rumble strip design, which is also referred to as a 'mumble strip', is being integrated into the highway system statewide to help in reducing noise pollution in more populated areas.

"This is just a response to the world around us and our community growing and changing. We are seeing growth in our area and we want to make sure this continues to be as livable a community as possible. So the choice to change things up for those mumble strips was a pretty easy decision."

Crews are performing the construction during nighttime hours from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday through Thursday.

Motorists should expect flagger-controlled traffic with brief delays with possible pilot cars when driving through the work zones, which stretch from Eastmont Avenue to Hadley Street and Third Avenue to Rock Island.

The work began on July 17 and is scheduled to wrap up sometime in October.