In response to local concerns about traffic congestion, the City of Issaquah and King County will partner to study and determine solutions for traffic congestion on Front Street/Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast.
On May 22, 2017, the Metropolitan King County Council unanimously approved legislation sponsored by Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn and Councilmember Kathy Lambert that will have King County partner with the City of Issaquah to study traffic on Front Street/Issaquah-Hobart Road.
The corridor being studied runs along Front Street/Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast between State Route 18 and Gilman Boulevard. Because part of this corridor is within the City of Issaquah and part is in unincorporated King County, the two jurisdictions will enter into an interlocal agreement.
The City of Issaquah will manage the study, and King County will pay for 50 percent of the traffic study costs.
The corridor is experiencing increased traffic congestion and longer travel times, and the study will gather and analyze data and recommend solutions to reduce congestion and collisions.
"I am hopeful the results of this study can help us work to improve traffic on this important regional corridor," Dunn said. "With the financial constraints placed on the Roads Services Division we’ll have to work creatively with our regional partners to find solutions to traffic congestion."
The county included a provision in the adopted 2017-18 biennial budget requiring the county executive to report the study’s findings to the Metropolitan King County Council by May 31, 2018.
"Given the congestion on this heavily traveled roadway, I am very eager to see the results of the study we are initiating between the County and the City of Issaquah," Lambert said. "These county/city collaborations are critical for charting a plan forward, especially considering the state of roads funding in King County. I hope we can use this as a model in the future."