The overview
On June 5, a special City Council meeting focused on assessing the feasibility of implementing either traffic signals or roundabouts along the parkway was held.
Assistant City Engineer Marcus Snell presented the findings of a traffic signal warrant study conducted in the previous fiscal year, which aimed to develop a comprehensive plan to tackle the congestion issue.
The approach
A 2021 traffic study conducted by the city emphasized the importance of improving traffic flow along Lake Olympia Parkway. City Council evaluated roundabout and traffic signal options for three intersections: Crow Valley Drive, Peninsula Drive and Misty Hollow Drive.
Factors such as projected traffic growth, general safety and pedestrian flow were all considered. After assessing right-of-way acquisition needs, construction delays and overall costs, the city determined installing traffic signals with turn lanes would be the most efficient and cost-effective solution.
Snell estimates total construction of the new traffic signals will cost around $1.7 million and take approximately six months to complete.
"We did notice that Misty Hollow traffic has some considerably long wait times for an intersection its size," Snell said.
Quote of note: "Residents concur with our approach. In general, the Lake Olympia Homeowners Association was very supportive," Snell said, when asked about the community outreach conducted to survey responses about the construction.
