For the last nine months, the right turn slip lane on 193rd Street going on to southbound 61st Street has been closed and used for staging and storage for the culvert replacement project across the street. Prior to its closure, this slip lane has been directly associated with approximately two-thirds of the crashes at that intersection, including multiple injury crashes over the last ten years. As a result, this right-turn slip lane will continue to be closed indefinitely.
We realize that this change has resulted in additional delay for motorists traveling east on 193rd Street; however, under the City Council’s direction, safety now outweighs vehicle throughput. Based on what we observed for the last nine months of the slip lane’s closure, we believe the risk of future crashes will be significantly reduced. In fact, since the slip lane’s closure last July, only one right turn-related crash has occurred at the intersection which is almost a 70% drop in right turn crashes overall for the entire intersection.
We can’t ignore these facts and can’t in good conscience return the intersection to its prior state.
When Kenmore’s main arterial roads were constructed in the mid-1900s, road designers emphasized vehicle throughput and speed over anything else. Accommodating more vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, was a secondary afterthought, if even a thought at all. As a result, many arterials were built with slip lanes that resemble on- and off-ramps on freeways. Prioritizing throughput and speed over safety has resulted in untold deaths, injuries, and human suffering over the decades. The days of throughput as the number one priority are over, and the days of arterial on- and off-ramps are numbered as well.
Will we continue to monitor this intersection and make modifications? Yes. In fact, we will be increasing the radius for the new right turn to provide more turning space for southbound vehicles. This modification is hopefully going to be accomplished by the end of April. We are also looking at the operation of the intersection to determine if we need to make additional changes and if so, what those changes might be with the anticipation that they will be completed as part of the 61st Avenue sidewalk replacement project in 2025 (unless a simple solution is determined and therefore earlier).
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the deaths of Caleb Shoup and Sarah Paulson. These two young Kenmore residents were struck and killed in intersections within just a few days of each other. Caleb was killed just three blocks south of the 193rd slip lane. We have not forgotten these tragedies, and the City Council continues to make traffic safety a top priority. The City Council’s Target Zero resolution is alive and well, and we will continue to be aggressive in making Kenmore’s streets more safe for all users, even if it means reducing the throughput of cars.
--Rob Karlinsey, City Manager
--John Vicente, Engineering Director
This Staff Report was provided at the March 18, 2024 City Council Meeting
Comments and concerns can be emailed to aclifton@kenmorewa.gov
