The phrase,'Unsound Transit', was coined by the Wall Street Journal to describe Seattle where,"Light Rail Madness eats billions that could otherwise be devoted to truly efficient transportation technologies." The Puget Sound's traffic congestion is a growing cancer on the region's prosperity. This website, captures news and expert opinion about ways to address the crisis. This is not a blog, but a knowledge base, which collects the best articles and presents them in a searchable format. My goal is to arm residents with knowledge so they can champion fact-based, rather than emotional, solutions.

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Friday, February 10, 2006

Justifying the 405 expansion at NE 8th

2/10/06 On the Road
I-405 corridor project

By Karen Gaudette

Seattle Times Eastside bureau

Q: Why is it that the state will pour highway funds into the Bellevue area on Interstate 405 while nothing is being said or done about alleviating congestion along the stretch of I-405 south of I-90 to I-5? I am referring to the recent improvements and additions to I-405 at Northeast Eighth, Northeast Fourth and Northeast Sixth streets in Bellevue, and now adding an additional lane in each direction from I-90 to Bellevue.

A: The state Department of Transportation says it'll begin work on congestion relief for the commute from 112th Avenue Southeast to I-90 in 2007. Kim Henry, chief engineer for the state's I-405 corridor program, says the project will add one northbound lane to ease the bottleneck at the I-90 interchange and will, in turn, improve traffic flow between Renton and Bellevue.

In 2008, construction will begin in Renton to add one lane in each direction between I-5 and Highway 169 to ease congestion at the Highway 167 interchange. Henry says the next priority is getting funding to add two lanes in each direction between Highway 169 and I-90.

Visit http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/I405/ to learn more about the I-405 corridor master plan, which calls for more than 300 improvements from Renton to Bothell. One reason all the improvements can't happen at once is funding — the state estimates all the projects will cost close to $11 billion in 2002 dollars, more than the amount it's received so far through gas-tax increases and other sources.

• I-405 in Kirkland

After hearing from many of you upset about bumpy conditions along the Northeast 85th Street bridge deck on I-405 in Kirkland, we followed up with the state Department of Transportation. And good news — the state now plans to repave the stretch this coming summer, rather than in 2008.

Chief engineer Kim Henry said the recent work done on the deck was a temporary fix to deal with a worsening pothole problem and to avoid further deterioration

at 2/10/2006 06:36:00 AM
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