Wreck with truck kills Seattle cyclist

Issaquah

A 44-year-old Seattle man died when his motorcycle collided with a dump truck Tuesday morning, Issaquah police reported.

The identity of the victim was not made public, pending notification of next of kin, Cmdr. Stan Conrad said.

The accident took place about 7:40 a.m. at East Lake Sammamish Parkway and 229th Avenue Southeast, north of Interstate 90.

Witnesses reported the motorcycle was traveling north on East Lake Sammamish Parkway and the dump truck was pulling into the intersection from 229th Avenue Southeast when the motorcycle struck the dump truck. The motorcyclist died at the scene, Conrad said. The truck driver was not injured.

Traffic was reduced to one lane in each direction on East Lake Sammamish Parkway, a main north-and-south route leading to the Sammamish Plateau.

Eastside

Copper-wire thefts decrease at PSE

Puget Sound Energy, which provides electrical power to much of the Eastside, says steps it has taken to reduce the theft of copper wire from its substations have paid off, cutting thefts by 28 percent since January. The new measures also led to increased arrests in nine counties, the utility announced.

PSE estimates its copper-wire losses since 2005 at $500,000. To combat theft, the company has replaced chain-link fencing around substations with extruded steel fencing — a type that cannot be easily cut — and has applied microscopic labels to copper wire to allow identification at recycling centers and by law enforcement.

Thefts of copper wire and other metals have risen dramatically in recent years, with the thefts often being committed by drug users to pay for methamphetamine use. The price of copper has risen from 80 cents a pound in 2003 to about $3.50 a pound now, with national losses estimated at $1 billion annually by the federal Department of Energy.

Issaquah

Pedestrian bridge gets $3 million

The Issaquah Regional Trail System has received more than $3 million in federal funds to construct a pedestrian bridge along Highway 900 over the Interstate 90 westbound onramp. It will connect the Cedar River-Lake Sammamish and Interstate 90/Sammamish regional trails.

Construction is expected to begin in February.

Nearly $15 million was awarded and went to 36 projects throughout the state, including restoring historic transportation facilities, treating water pollution, and landscaping.

Seattle Times Eastside Bureau