Fed. Way or the highway
Monday, April 14th, 2008From FWBlog: The city is looking into ways to reduce congestion at the I-5 intersection at 320th. (Good!) The options: an exit at 312th, or an exit at 324th.
We’ve missed the open house on this issue, but FederalWayan thinks the 312th option is the best. If you look at the choices from a standpoint purely related to the commercial city center, mall, and 99 business artery, 324th looks more appealing. But those of us living in the real world know that congestion isn’t being caused by shoppers (well, except on 320th and 348th on Sundays, but that’s in-town traffic), but by people coming home from work; in other words, travel to and from the residential areas.
324th runs behind the mall, crosses 99, and then smacks into Celebration Park at 11th. The result: people trying to cram back up to 320th, or cramming into the slow road around the park. Effect: moving the traffic a half mile west.
Meanwhile, 312th (a city arterial) crosses 99, 1st Ave, and stops at Dash Point Rd and 21st — two other city arterials. In its travels it passes through lots of residential areas (like 320th does up to the same point). Also, this exit would be close and accessible to the 317th HOV exit, making 312 a route with multiple options for exiting. And a short drive up 28th gets you on Military Road.
The only problem is that, as both plans include extending the intersecting road over the highway to the other side, 312th would be brought over and end at a sleepy, pricey-looking neighborhood at 32nd Ave S. The 312th plan should include connecting the dead-end of 312th there to the 312th on the other side of a vacant lot, which would connect it straight to Military.
The 324th plan in this case looks a lot more expensive. It requires overpassing the existing 320th southbound ramps (!), then cutting a road between two Weyerhauser buildings, and (it looks like) relocating a Weyerhauser road about 300 feet.