In response to pushback on SDOT’s first two options for a safety project on Highland Park Way SW, staff have developed a third option that preserves both the bike lane and the existing number of eastbound lanes as the street approaches the W Marginal Way SW intersection.
The new concept, dubbed Option 2B, would remove an existing traffic island wedge to create the extra space needed. SDOT hopes it will be a win-win concept. “In response to feedback about wanting Highland Park Way SW to be both safer for everyone and not increase vehicle queues getting through West Marginal Way SW, our team has developed a new hybrid alternative,” Project Outreach Lead Ziqi Wang wrote in an update email. You can submit feedback on the new option via their online form.
Look at that, a department listening to feedback and creating a new option based on what they heard. To think there were folks accusing them of being “jackboots” over this! I am not familiar with the type of jackboot that listens to community feedback while working to improve walking and biking safety and install better street lights.
The biggest trade-off in the new Option 2B is the loss of that center island. It was setback from the crosswalk already, so I am not sure how much of a crosswalk safety feature it was. It looks more like it was designed to force left-turning vehicles from northbound W Marginal Way SW to make a wider turn, except that the way it was designed allowed for a rather wide turn anyway. I don’t immediately see any major loss from getting ride of it, though I invite your comments below.
The bigger question is more about why this roadway has so many lanes to begin with. It only carries fewer than 20,000 vehicles per day west of W Marginal Way, which is within the range where a reduction in the number of lanes would reduce serious collisions without significantly impacting congestion. None of the options studied would have reduced the number of lanes on both directions. The new B2 option would still limit the eastbound (downhill) direction to one lane, which is the way it is at the top of the hill. It will not create a new merge point. The second uphill lane could be seen as a slow-moving vehicle climbing lane, as are common on more rural highways. It seems that not moving the island was part of the original design constraints, which meant not moving the center line. A center turn lane also isn’t really useful on this street since there’s nowhere to turn. So the compromise result is to keep all the lanes while also widening the path and building the bike lane.
By widening out to two lanes at the intersection, people will be less likely to get stuck waiting for a second light cycle during the busiest driving times. This was among the biggest complaints during previous outreach.
More details from SDOT’s email:
Hi everyone,
Thank you to the community members who joined our virtual public meeting on Wednesday, March 4, to discuss early design options for the Highland Park Way SW Connection Project.
We appreciate the robust discussion and the detailed questions shared during the session. We heard there is support for improved safety and better walking and biking connections, and concerns about how these changes will affect vehicle traffic. We have summarized the key themes from the meeting below:
What We Heard
Based on the feedback shared during the meeting and through our project inbox, we have identified several key themes:
- Traffic Wait Time: Residents are concerned that removing one downhill lane will increase average wait times, especially during peak hours or if there are future issues with the West Seattle Bridge.
- Safety Priorities: We heard questions regarding the placement of Jersey barriers. Some neighbors suggested that barriers should be used to separate uphill and downhill vehicle traffic in the centerline rather than (or in addition to) protecting people walking and biking on the path and bike lane.
- Local Access: Residents on side streets, particularly SW Othello St, shared concerns about the difficulty of turning onto Highland Park Way as traffic is consolidated into fewer lanes.
- Emergency Response: Questions were raised about how emergency vehicles will navigate the hill during periods of heavy congestion.
- Project Rationale: Community members asked for more data regarding current bike and pedestrian counts and questioned the prioritization of this project over other ones.
Introducing Option 2B: A Direct Response to Feedback
In response to feedback about wanting Highland Park Way SW to be both safer for everyone and not increase vehicle queues getting through West Marginal Way SW, our team has developed a new hybrid alternative: Option 2B.
Design features of Option 2B:
- Increased Intersection Capacity: At the bottom of the hill, the single downhill lane opens into three vehicular lanes (one left-turn lane and two through-lanes).
- Downhill Bike Lane A downhill bike lane remains protected by Jersey barriers to the intersection with West Marginal Way SW.
- Adjusted Channelization: We are removing the center median to accommodate the extra through-lane. Additionally, we are removing one of the westbound left-turn lanes at the W Marginal Way SW intersection to make space for the three eastbound vehicle lanes and the protected bike lane.