A boat and a car arrive at a Seattle drawbridge. Who goes first?

August 22, 2019 / 12:04 am

caption: Russell Shrewsbury is a tugboat captain and vice president of Western Towboat, a family-owned company since 1948. Shrewsbury says it's not easy to stop a barge under tow. If the drawbridge doesn't open in time, 'it can get interesting.'

So you’re in the car, rushing to an appointment, and suddenly traffic stops. In front of you – a drawbridge opens - and a single boat goes through. Frustrating right?

Now imagine if you’re on a barge, heading towards that same bridge.

On this archive episode of SoundQs, we answer a listener question about why it seems like boats seem to have the right of way over cars at Seattle drawbridges. (Spoiler: that impression is accurate!)

See the original story, which first aired January 24, 2019.

Listen to the episode by clicking the play button above or on your favorite podcast app. SoundQs is a weekly podcast where our KUOW reporters tackle questions submitted by our listeners.

Have a question about the Seattle region for us to answer? Drop it here:

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Deborah Wang
Contributing Reporter, Editor, & Host

Deborah is a contributing reporter, editor and host at KUOW. Since joining the staff in 2005, Deborah has done everything from political reporting to podcast hosting and is now serving as Interim News Director. She is an award–winning radio and television journalist whose career spans more than three decades.
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Matt Martin
Podcast Producer

Matt Martin is a podcast producer who has worked on many different show for KUOW. He pitched and created THE WILD with Chris Morgan, a rich and experiential podcast about ecology and conservation. Matt also produced the Seattle music history podcast Let the Kids Dance and the award-winning Ghost Herd. Before moving to the on-demand side of the station, Matt worked as a producer on The Record, KUOW's local news show. He has also worked as a general assignment reporter and host for public radio stations in upstate New York and rural Alaska. Matt got his start in media as an intern with StoryCorps and Aljazeera America.
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