MUKILTEO — Motorists lined up in the queue for the Mukilteo ferry have no doubt seen the look.
Travelers in the non-ferry northbound lane of Highway 525 at the 5th Street intersection often gaze at the stoplight when it turns green with a confused look that seems to say: “Can I go?”
One of the biggest causes of confusion is among northbound drivers in the non-ferry lane making a right turn in front of the ferry line onto 5th Street, said Police Chief Cheol Kang.
“I see people hesitating to make that turn,” he said. “It’s not a normal type of intersection. It takes a bit of getting used to.”
An average of 6,100 cars and trucks use the highway each day to board or leave the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry, according to the state Department of Transportation. The route, used by 2.2 million drivers last year, is one of the busiest in the state’s ferry system.
For those not familiar with the 5th Street intersection “it might take them time to figure out which lane is theirs when the light is green,” Kang said.
To help reduce the confusion, the state Department of Transportation is planning some improvements to the intersection as well as to a nearby pedestrian crossing this spring and summer.
“The idea is to improve the separation between the two lanes,” said Barbara Briggs, an assistant region traffic engineer for the state Department of Transportation. “We’re trying to make it easier for drivers.”
Traffic signals at 5th Street will be equipped to better respond to changing traffic patterns, she said. And a sign will be posted at the intersection with the message “Ferry Lane Stop Here On Red.”
The space between the two northbound lanes will be increased and posts will be added to improve the distinction between the two lanes, she said.
Two new signals also will be added as part of the construction of the new ferry terminal.
The signal and lane improvements are expected to cost about $30,000.
Briggs said a pedestrian crossing will be added at the intersection of Highway 525 and Goat Trail Road. Currently there’s a bus stop there, but an unmarked crosswalk.
The marked crosswalk will be added with yellow blinking lights that can be activated by pedestrians.
The crosswalk equipment is expected to cost $60,000.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
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