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166 Avenue NE
Corridor Improvements
166 Avenue NE at NE 104 Street
The intersection of 166 Avenue NE and NE 104 Street has long been an area
of community concern due to heavy traffic congestion during the morning commute
and because of the many young pedestrians who navigate the intersection on their
way to and from school. The collision history at the intersection for the last 3
years reveals a good safety record; however, some drivers find the existing
intersection lane configuration confusing, especially when it comes to knowing
who has the right-of-way during peak periods of vehicular and pedestrian
traffic. Pedestrians report that drivers fail to yield the right-of-way to them.
The City has received many requests to change the existing 4-way stop to a
fully-signalized intersection. In response to these requests, Redmond’s
Transportation Services Division has annually monitored vehicular and pedestrian
traffic on 166 Avenue NE at NE 104 Street. Last year the intersection met volume
warrants and the City recommended the installation of a traffic signal primarily
to enhance the level of safety for pedestrians. The traffic signal was added to
the City’s 6-Year Transportation Improvement Program for construction in 2010,
but no funding was allocated to the project.
In October 2006, Transportation Services staff applied for a
Safe Routes to
School grant requesting funds to construct a traffic signal at the intersection
of 166 Avenue NE and NE 104 Street. In December, the City was informed that the
project placed seventh on a prioritized list of 101 requests from around the
State for funds to make school zone improvements. We are presently waiting
formal approval from the State legislature to begin expending the funds for this
project.
The $350,000 grant will cover construction of the new signal, reconfigure 166
Avenue NE from along the frontage of Redmond Junior High School from 4 to 3
lanes, implement a safety
education campaign that will focus on safe pedestrian and driver behaviors at
the newly signalized intersection, and increase police enforcement once the new
signal is in operation.
This page was last updated on September 9, 2009.
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