MUKILTEO — Starting next fall, it could be easier for drivers and pedestrians who are not using the ferry to get through the busy intersection at the Mukilteo ferry dock.
The state ferry system is proposing to install another northbound lane on the Mukilteo Speedway where it meets Front Street in a T-intersection at the entrance to the ferry dock.
Ferry officials also are proposing a traffic signal at the intersection, which currently is controlled only by stop signs and ferry system employees directing traffic.
Having two northbound lanes on the Speedway instead of one, in conjunction with the light, should shorten delays and move traffic more predictably through the intersection, ferry officials say.
The $400,000 plan must be given the go-ahead by the Mukilteo City Council. The plan is tentatively scheduled to be discussed at a June 21 meeting.
If it’s approved, the lane could be installed this fall and the light in spring 2011, said Nicole McIntosh, the ferry system’s engineering manager for terminals.
Currently, vehicles boarding the ferry must cross Front Street, preventing drivers from turning right onto the street during loading. Similarly, vehicles exiting the ferry prevent drivers from turning left toward the entrance to Lighthouse Park.
Sometimes the coast will be clear for a driver to turn in one direction, but they are blocked by a driver in front of them who is being prevented from turning by ferry traffic.
Having two lanes will help this problem, McIntosh said. Also, the light at times will be turned red for off-loading ferry traffic, giving other drivers and pedestrians more chances to proceed through the intersection, McIntosh said.
“It will make people know when they’re supposed to be turning and reduce car and pedestrian conflicts,” she said. She said a ferry employee likely would continue to be stationed at the intersection to direct traffic as a backup to the light.
The ferry system still is working on the details of how the light would be timed, she said.
“I think it’s a good solution,” Mukilteo City Council president Randy Lord said, noting the congestion in the area. “I don’t think it’s going to solve all the problems,” he said, adding that the eventual answer is moving the ferry dock, which is still in the state’s long-term plans. “There’s too much happening all in one place.”
To install the new traffic lane, the state would have to move the sidewalk to the east and eliminate the first holding lane.
The plan sprung from last year’s expansion of the holding lanes. The state reached an agreement with the Buzz Inn for the restaurant to be torn down and 14 new holding lanes put in its place, bringing the total to 24. The new lanes opened last Labor Day weekend and reduce the length of the backup on the Mukilteo Speedway during busy times.
The original agreement called for the state to build a stairway behind the holding lanes near the railroad tracks to allow pedestrians to walk directly from the Mukilteo Speedway to the Sound Transit commuter rail platform.
That idea was stymied, however, by issues with security, maintenance, property ownership and accessibility for the disabled, ferry officials said.
Mukilteo city staff supports the lane-and-light plan as an alternative, according to a memo to the council.
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.
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