Proposed Improvements for
166 Avenue NE Corridor including
Traffic Signal at 166 Avenue NE and NE 104 Street

The City is proposing some rechannelization in front of Redmond Junior High as part of the construction of a new traffic signal on 166 Avenue NE at NE 104 Street.  The immediate intersection will be configured to obtain optimal operations at the newly-signalized intersection.  A proposal to convert the section of 166 Avenue NE in front of the school from 4 lanes to 3 with bike lanes will be presented to the Education Hill community at a public meeting on Thursday February 7 that will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Redmond Junior High.

In addition to seeking comments at the February 7 public meeting about the alternatives proposed for a 4 to 3 lane conversion in front of the school, the City will also be seeking community comment on a proposed 4 to 3 lane conversion on the remaining segment of 166 Avenue NE south to NE 85 Street.  This would complete a 4 to 3 lane conversion of 166 Avenue NE that started when the roadway from NE 85 Street to Redmond Way was converted from 4 lanes to 3 in 2004.  This, and other conversions in Redmond's downtown, is consistent with the community's vision to reclaim streets, identified in the City's Transportation Master Plan, making them supportive of all modes of travel - for drivers, for pedestrians, and for bicyclists.  

4 to 3 Lane Conversions
Converting a roadway from 4 lanes to 3 is a concept that has been gaining wide acceptance among traffic engineering professionals as an effective, inexpensive way to reduce speeds and improve safety without a negative impact on traffic operations. Reducing a road from 4 lanes to 3 seems like it would create more congestion. However, similar conversions in other locations demonstrate there are several advantages:

• The number of collisions decreases. Sight distance improves for drivers who need only be alert to one lane in each direction instead of two.
• The center dedicated left-turn lane provides drivers with a refuge from the rest of the traffic. Removing left-turning vehicles from through traffic reduces delay when drivers are no longer waiting behind vehicles waiting to turn left.
• Bike lanes give cyclists their own place to travel and add a layer of protection for pedestrians between sidewalks and cars.
• Pedestrians feel safer crossing fewer lanes of traffic
• It is easy to add refuge islands and curb bulb-outs to a 3-lane roadway, which provide additional safety for pedestrians.

The lower portion of 166 Avenue NE between Redmond Way and NE 85 Street was successfully converted from 4 lanes to 3 in 2004.  The project was not without some opposition from the driving community, who wondered how eliminating 2 through lanes could improve operations on this road.  A post-construction evaluation of the conversion on the lower portion of 166 Avenue NE indicates a decline in the number of collisions since the conversion was put in place.

Other downtown roadways in Redmond that have been converted are NE 87 Street between 161 and 164 Avenue NE (from 4 lanes to 2 with on-street parking), 161 Avenue NE from NE 85 Street to Redmond Way, and NE 85 Street from 154 to 166 Avenue NE. 

This page was last updated on February 1, 2008.