During an open house last night, representatives from the Seattle Department of Transportation and King County Metro were on hand to explain proposed changes to Market Street and Route 44.
For drivers, one of the major changes could happen at the intersection of 24th and Market. Under the plan, several parking spaces will be removed from the west side of the intersection.
On the north side of Market, four parking spaces will be permanently removed. On the south side of Market, one space closest to the intersection will be permanently removed while eight additional spaces would be restricted during the morning peak hours (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.) to accommodate the eastbound right-turn traffic.
Heading eastbound there will be three lanes for traffic – for left turns, heading straight and turning right. In the westbound direction, there will be two lanes that go straight through the intersection, although one will also allow right turns. There will also be a dedicated left-turn lane.
The north/south traffic will also be affected under the proposed changes. If all goes as planned, there will be one left-turn lane, one through-traffic lane and a bike lane in the southbound direction. A single lane would be provided for the northbound left-turn traffic and one lane for the traffic heading straight and turning right.
Click here for a larger version of this map.
Metro is proposing several changes for Route 44. Several stops are slated for closure, as denoted by the X over current stops (market by green dots.) The red circles indicate where a curb bulb is proposed. The large “T” at several intersections means that buses will have signal priority.
According to SDOT, these changes will save Route 44 up to nearly three minutes in both directions during the morning drive times, nearly four minutes during the midday heading from Montlake into Ballard and almost three minute savings headed toward Montlake in the midday. During the afternoon commute, riders will save nearly six minutes for those heading from the U District into Ballard and three minutes for those heading out of Ballard.
A funding package hasn’t been secured for the project, so SDOT believes the implementation will be carried out in phases between 2011 and 2014.
If you were unable to attend Thursday’s open house and would like to provide feedback for this proposal, email your comments to Jeff Bender at jeff.bender@seattle.gov or call: 206-684-8837.