Street Smarts reader Kevin Schroeter has lived in Mukilteo for 20 years and has grown increasingly concerned by the number of close calls he has seen at the intersection leading to the Future of Flight Aviation Center, located off Paine Field Boulevard at 84th Street SW.
Heading southbound on Paine Field Boulevard, there are two lanes for through traffic, one lane for those turning left toward the museum and a neighboring hotel, and one lane for traffic turning right onto 84th Street.
“There seems to be a two-fold problem for those who are turning right onto 84th,” Schroeter wrote. “First, the line of sight to the left is limited during normal, busy traffic, which impedes seeing pedestrians as they cross the street as well as any vehicles that are entering the intersection. Second, it is unclear when the northbound vehicles are given the right-of-way to turn onto 84th Street SW.
“I have observed a lot of southbound drivers that either did not stop on their red light before turning right, or did not recognize that the opposing traffic was moving through the intersection before proceeding,” he said.
A prudent solution would be to put more restrictions on right turns for southbound traffic, such as barring right turns on red lights, he said.
Paine Field Boulevard is a continuation of Highway 526 at the north end of that intersection and turns into Highway 525 south of the intersection. So this is a state-controlled intersection.
“Mr. Schroeter raises some good points, which are all too common at any signalized intersection,” said Washington State Department of Transportation spokesman Tom Pearce.
Traffic engineers typically make decisions on such proposed intersection changes based on crash data. There’s not an unusual number of crashes at that intersection, so the apparatus there is unlikely to change, Pearce said.
Existing laws that require cautious driving will have to suffice.
“If you want to make a legal right against a red light, you need to be sure it’s all clear, including pedestrians,” Pearce said.
That said, there are some changes coming there as part of a paving project scheduled for 2019, which will affect both drivers and pedestrians.
In the northbound direction of Paine Field Boulevard, one of two left-turn lanes to 84th Street will be eliminated. In a corresponding change, only one westbound lane on 84th Street will remain to receive traffic.
“We’re also planning some changes at this intersection for those not in vehicles,” Pearce said. “After discussions with the Future of Flight Museum, we determined that pedestrians will only be able to cross Paine Field Boulevard on the northern leg of the intersection. The southern leg across Paine Field Boulevard and the north-south legs crossing 84th Street SW will be closed and marked ‘No pedestrian crossing.’ There are no sidewalks on the south side of 84th, and the Future of Flight staff report their patrons either go directly to their parking lot or come from the north side of 84th, where there is a sidewalk.”
While he’s glad engineers are taking a look at the intersection, Schroeter notes that the changes don’t address line-of-sight concerns combined with the dangers of scofflaws.
Statistics are nice. But close calls can be a good indicator of a looming problem, Schroeter noted. Why wait until someone is hurt?
“The cost of changes seems very small when weighed against the potential harm that could occur,” he said.
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