Redmond Intelligent
Transportation System
(RITS)
 

Project Cost: $6 million

Funding Source: City of Redmond Capital Investment Program, business tax revenue, King County Metro, Federal TEA-21, Washington State Transportation Improvement Board

Business tax revenue contribution:  $900,000 (Phase V)

Project Manager: Rob Crittenden (rcrittenden@redmond.gov)

Status: Phase I (Overlake); Phase II (Redmond Way and NE 85 Street); Phase III (Overlake and Downtown by way of West Lake Sammamish Parkway); Phase IV (Avondale Road from Avondale Way to NE 104 Street): Phase V (completion of Citywide ITS Network).  Phase V is expected to reach completion in the winter of 2009.  Click on the map for a complete look at the location of the signals being interconnected via RITS.

Project Description: Intelligent transportation systems are springing up all over the world.  They are considered by many transportation professionals to be a viable way of increasing capacity and managing traffic congestion without building more roads.  Rather than altering the infrastructure, revolutionary wireless communication and electronic technologies are put to work to improve the efficiency of existing transportation systems.

Redmond's Intelligent Transportation System (RITS) has been a traffic engineering goal for the City for almost two decades.  The RITS Traffic Management Center on 154 Avenue NE at the corner of NE 90 Street will serve as the central location where traffic technicians communicate with and remotely monitor and control traffic signals.  From the management center, technicians will have the capability to react immediately to collisions, emergency road closures, or other incidents that alter regular traffic flow.  They can test signal timings and get instant results on computer monitors without every having to use valuable time driving to a problem location.  Vehicles can be kept moving despite incidents that might ordinarily delay traffic for hours.  Intelligent transportation systems like RITS can reduce peak period travel times from 5 to 10%, lower fuel consumption up to 13%, assist emergency response, and increase efficiency for transit.

RITS is a $6 million project that will be completed in several phases.  Phase I is in Overlake; Phase II is on Redmond Way and NE 85 Street in downtown Redmond; Phase III will interconnect signals from Phase I and II by way of West Lake Sammamish Parkway; Phase IV is on Avondale Road from Avondale Way to NE 104 Street; Phase V will complete the Citywide intelligent transportation system in the winter of 2009.

If you want to learn more about intelligent transportation systems, visit the U.S. Department of Transportation's web site at www.its.dot.gov.

Last updated on December 4, 2007.

2006-2007 Sidewalk Projects

Project Cost:  varies per project

Funding Source: City of Redmond Sidewalk Improvement Program

Project Manager:  Steve Gibbs (sgibbs@redmond.gov)

Status: On-going

Project Description: These projects are part of the City’s on-going sidewalk program to enhance pedestrian safety and to fill in missing link sidewalk segments. The 2006 program was recently bid, costs were significantly higher than the budget.  The 2006 program will now be combined with the 2007 program.  Five areas within the City will be covered by the 2006-2007 program, budget permitting.  These areas are as follows:

16300 block of NE 57 Street.  This project segment will construct approximately 130 lineal feet of sidewalk on the south half of the cul-de-sac and provide a neighborhood connection to the new pathway to the south.

4500 block of 162 Avenue.   This project segment will construct approximately 140 lineal feet of sidewalk on the west side of 162 Avenue NE.  

173 Avenue NE between NE 20 Street and NE 22 Street. This project component will construct 780 linear feet of street widening curb, gutter, and five foot concrete sidewalk on the west side of 173 Avenue NE.

NE 80 Street between 132 Avenue NE and 138 Avenue NE. This project component will construct approximately 1650 linear feet of curb, gutter, and five foot concrete sidewalk on the north side of NE 80 Street.

SR 202 between NE 98 Street and NE 101 Street. This project component will construct approximately 1,100 linear feet of new curb and gutter and five foot concrete sidewalk on the east side of SR 202 along with retaining walls as required.

Design is near completion with construction anticipated to begin in spring 2007.

Last updated on July 9, 2007.