I think it would be hard to widen/straighten the section of 2 east of Startup to Skykomish. The canyon is narrow and rocky, it would probably have a significant impact on the river. I think the section of road from Everett to Monroe is fine, too many people have moved into the Sultan basin and surrounding areas though and the road from the fairgrounds to Gold Bar could use some over/underpasses. I don't think it needs to be a freeway just to accommodate skiers going to the pass. Once you get past the traffic lights the problem isn't so much road conditions as excess speed and aggressive driving.
I agree and sometimes, it is aggravated by people who choose to drive safer than they need to. In Eastern Washington, most drivers get snow and know how to react. In Western Washington some drivers see a snowflake and drive into a telephone pole.
The ones who drive cautiously up the hill need to consider that they are going 10-15mph under the speed that the conditions allow. I realize that this is subjective to the individuals comfort and experience. But Look in the rear view mirror and then look ahead of you. If there is no one in sight in front of you, but it looks like a funeral procession behind you, YOU are the cause of the problem no matter how safe you think you are driving. Drivers will get agitated and try to get around you. Hence the agro reputation. Some folks are just plain agro and that is just not good anytime in any condition.
For those that fear driving in the snow...
When you can see water coming off the tires, of the car in front of you or hear water spinning off your tires and the road is black there probably is not going to be any ice even if it's snowing so it's OK to speed up.
