- Construct a bypass along the east side of the City from SR 169 south of SR 516. The proposed route would start south of Four Corners, go east around the new Safeway store, north along Summit Landsburg Road, north across Cedar River Pipeline around the trail (old railroad right-of-way) to reconnect to SR 169 north of SE 231st Street. It will be very important to design and protect this bypass as a limited access road to retain the capacity of the roadway, which can be adversely affected by providing direct accesses to businesses and residential development.
- An alternate route would be to start the bypass as mentioned above but to continue north to connect to 244th Avenue.
Either bypass will move many of the 6,000 trips that will be generated in the new housing development southeast of Four Corners around Maple Valley to SR 169 north of the City. It will also provide a good north-south alternative to Maple Valley Highway within the City. A bypass will greatly improve circulation within the City and with a couple of connection points will assist Maple Valley residents to also avoid the congested intersection around SR 169 and Se 231st Street. Based on the development potential of the City a bypass is an effective method of reducing traffic volumes on SR 169 and to create the conditions that would permit the City to develop to its full potential.
- In the long term, consideration must be given to reconstructing SR 516 as a four-lane boulevard with roundabouts at the major intersections. SR 516 is the only east-west road within the City. For the foreseeable future it will play an important role within the City by allowing development along that corridor, providing circulation for local residents and a major east-west route for other drivers. In the short term, SR 516 will be able to carry an increase in traffic if the recommended short-term improvements are made.
- Transit Improvements
Implementation of a direct-link transit system between the City and Seattle would reduce the need for improvements to the road network. However, when considering transit improvements it is important to remember the relationship between road congestion and bus operation. Buses, unless they travel in special, heavily enforced bus lanes, will suffer the same level-of-congestion that vehicles suffer. Therefore, no incentive exists for drivers to leave their cars and change to buses.
The most effective transit services that can be provided are commuter rail or light rail. Commuter rail is more effective for long distance travel within its own right-of-way and stations every mile or two. Light rail is more effective for the shorter haul with stops every one-quarter or one-third mile. However, to be effective light rail vehicles should be in their own right-of-way in the center of the road where pedestrians have easy access to and from the light rail stations. Then drivers sitting in a traffic jam will see light rail vehicles passing them by.
Within the City the most obvious transit operation is a light rail system along SR 169, although a commuter rail line could be possible in the future along an old rail corridor or in the center of SR 18.
Bypass Options
Clickable Thumbnail
![[Green Dot]](../pics/greendot.gif){kind=small}