County to study traffic flow on Airport Road this fall
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 19, 2016
The morning commute can get busy on Airport Road/128th Street in south Everett.
But Street Smarts reader Mary Chesnut, who lives in the area, wonders if the signal timing may think rush hour starts much earlier than reality.
Snohomish County staff report that the signals along Airport Road/128th Street SW, from I-5 to Highway 99 (Evergreen Way), switch to a 122-second cycle length plan starting at 5:30 a.m., which is when they see traffic start to ramp up.
“My point is that the 122-second cycle is too long even at 0530,” Chestnut wrote. “I usually use (the Admiralty Way) intersection between 0515 and 0545 and it is a long wait and there is still not much traffic yet. I think the traffic may start to ‘ramp up’ around 0600, but I don’t see it earlier and it is frustrating to wait two minutes when there are no or not many cars on 128th. … I have seen cars (waiting to turn left or go straight) give up and go anyway or go a different route. Can the cycle be changed to more frequent changes until 0600 at least?”
Jim Bloodgood, traffic engineer for Snohomish County, said he understands the frustration.
“The intersection you are referencing follows established county traffic protocol which uses the latest available traffic count we have (it is a few years old). However, we are currently planning to conduct a data study this fall 2016 to ascertain what the traffic flow is at Airport Road/128th Street SW,” Bloodgood wrote in a response.
“This study will also be used in our Adaptive Signal Project which will install a new, state-of-the-art signal software on Airport Road/128th Street SW and other intersections in close proximity. The software will enable traffic signals to make some decisions on their own to improve travel times. The goal of the new system is to improve efficiency and reliability,” Bloodgood said.
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