City gets the green light on signal improvements

The Washington State Department of Transportation last year awarded Auburn a $412,650 federal grant to apply to the design phase, environmental permitting and construction phases of a set of signal safety and operations improvements on A Street Southeast.

City traffic engineers expect the work to improve intersection traffic signal timing and operations, corridor coordination, traffic signal head visibility and ADA accessibility at eight places along A Street Southeast between 3rd Street Southeast and the East Valley Highway access road.

Because the grant requires a 10 percent local construction match, last fall the City tucked $41,000 into the approved city budget covering the total project cost of $458,500.

On Monday, the Auburn City Council authorized Mayor Nancy Backus to accept the grant and to negotiate, finalize and execute all local agency agreements between the City and WSDOT.

The council likewise authorized the mayor to negotiate, finalize and execute any further agreements consistent with grant requirements for all future phases for each part of projects up to the total amount of the grant.

Here is a small sampling of what taxpayers will get for their bucks at the following intersections with A Street Southeast:

• Cross Street East – supplemental traffic signal heads for east- and westbound left-turn flashing yellow arrow lights and southbound through movement; and timing that allows pedestrians extra time to cross the street before traffic moves again.

• 41st Street Southeast – conversion of northbound left, southbound left and soutbound right turn movements to flashing yellow operation; addition of supplemental traffic signal heads for northbound left, southbound left, eastbound left and northbound through movements; and the addition of backplates with reflective borders to existing signal heads so drivers can see them even in bright sunlight.

• Terrace View Drive Southeast – conversion of southbound left movements to flashing yellow light operation; and upgrade to ADA compliant pedestrian push buttons and signals.