Recession improves traffic flow

Published 10:17 pm Sunday, February 28, 2010

It appears traffic in the region has been easing up — a little.

Driving times in the Puget Sound area fell slightly in the second half of 2009 compared with the same periods in 2007 and 2008, according to new figures from the state Department of Transportation.

Overall, from ’07 to ’09, travel times improved on 14 of 18 commuter routes studied, with reductions ranging from 1 to 15 minutes, according to the state.

It appears the economic downturn was the biggest factor. Traffic improved more from 2007 to 2008 — the year the recession hit in full force — than from ’08 to ’09, according to the Transportation Department. Also, fuel prices hit $4 per gallon in the summer of 2008, prompting many drivers to turn to public transportation at the time.

Still, some of the road improvement projects in recent years have made a difference as well, state officials said.

The biggest improvement in travel times was on I-405 between Bellevue and Tukwila, where an additional lane opened near the I-90 interchange in January 2009. The morning commute showed a 13-minute travel time reduction northbound in the morning and a 5-minute improvement southbound on the evening return trip, according to state figures.

The Transportation Department uses sensor loops planted in the roadways to gather its information, spokeswoman Melanie Coon said. The loops measure volume and speed, she said.

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Dave Heinke of Lake Stevens writes: Can something be done to improve the safety at the intersection of Highway 92 and 113th Avenue NE in Lake Stevens? 113th is the main access road off Highway 92 for two schools (Lake Stevens High and Highland Elementary) and gets heavy morning and afternoon traffic. Trying to get on Highway 92, especially headed west toward Highway 9, from 113th during these times is especially dangerous due to the traffic and limited sight lines looking both ways.

Another dangerous intersection is at 132nd Street NE (Highway 96) and 39th Avenue SE (the access road to Archbishop Murphy High School) in southeast Everett. The same issues apply here when trying to turn onto 132nd from 39th. I noticed the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office even had a deputy directing traffic there one recent morning.

With the heavy traffic and lack of signals, both of these intersections are accidents waiting to happen every morning and afternoon. Can traffic signals or an alternative safety precaution be installed at these locations?

Jamie Holter, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman, responds: We did some research, and here is what we’ve learned. Snohomish County will find out in the next several weeks whether they will get funding to install a signal at 132nd and 39th near Archbishop Murphy High School. If they get funding, they plan to have the signal up and running before school starts in the fall.

The state’s intersection improvements (which of course are separate from county funding) happen in two ways: Either the project is specifically funded by the Legislature or the intersection is put on a priority list. If it goes on the list, improvements can include new turn lanes, signals or even roundabouts. However, because of the tight economy, that list hasn’t been funded for the past several years. So this means that, at this time, neither of those intersections will see any major improvements until the economy picks up and funding returns or Snohomish County can find a way to fund the work.

We will continue to monitor the two intersections and see whether any low-cost, near-term changes can be made.

In 2008, we added a left-turn lane for westbound traffic at on Highway 92 at 113th Avenue NE to reduce the risk of collisions involving left-turning drivers.

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