Why connect?
November 10, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
City’s study of barrier removal is rooted in Comprehensive Plan
Julie James’ house is about three-quarters of a mile from 228th Avenue, but she has to drive a mile out of her way because of dead ends and barricades. Every weekday morning, she drops off her five children at three different Issaquah School District schools.
Each time, she has to circumvent a nearby road connection on Southeast 32nd Street that would likely cut down her commute time. A barricade sits in the middle of the finished road, stopping residents like James from commuting east to west across 228th Avenue on the shortest possible path.
“It’s just a stupid obstacle in my neighborhood,” she said.
Many would beg to differ, but the city’s Public Works Department is trying to develop a plan to make traffic circulate better throughout the city, allowing that any changes in roads would only come after guaranteeing the safety of pedestrians (like children playing near the street).
At stake are 22 barricades and roughly 57 dead ends (25 of which are marked to become through-streets in the future), all of which are under review by the city. The city has titled this the “connectivity” process.
Residents came in droves to meetings about connectivity Oct. 22 and Oct. 28, with sign-up sheets showing 76 names at one meeting and 65 at the other. Many questioned why the city was trying to increase connectivity at all.
“What is the reason for criteria? Why does the city want this done?” asked Lisa Lutz, who lives at the southeast corner of the city.
There are several answers to Lutz’ question. Julie James and people in her situation represent one group of people pushing for some road connections. They want more convenient pathways between their homes and other destinations.
Greg Reynolds, a resident on the north end of Sammamish, wants to remove a barricade on the 19900 block of Northeast 42nd Street.
He submitted a letter to the city that spells out a mathematical analysis of how many extra miles people have to travel because of the existing barricade. (He estimated it’s more than a million.) He also suggested the extra driving creates air pollution.
Firefighters would also like more road connections, too.
“Connectivity can lower response times for emergency vehicles,” explained Jeff Griffin, Eastside Fire & Rescue’s deputy fire chief. “Minutes and seconds are critical for certain types of emergencies like a heart attack or when CPR is needed.”
Griffin said EFR wasn’t taking a position on specific connection situations, nor does a road have to be opened permanently. He said an automated gate that firefighters open remotely from their trucks would serve their purposes, too.
Laura Philpot, the city engineer supervising the connectivity process, said that the city’s comprehensive plan, passed in 2003, directs the Public Works Department to increase the number of road connections and make sure the road network keeps up with population growth.
The plan says cul-de-sacs in new developments should be avoided when possible, as should any kind of barrier that prevents future road connections.
But Philpot pointed out that the same document says that road changes must maintain neighborhood character.
“They can be viewed as conflicting policies,” she said.
Philpot said part of the reason behind the connectivity meetings is to address barricades sitting in the middle of finished streets. She said residents aren’t sure about what the city would ultimately do about such a barricade.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just address it and say whether it stays or goes and have some resolution on the issue?” She said.
Philpot has also expressed a desire to stay neutral in the process and gather as much information as possible. She told residents repeatedly that the city hasn’t made any decisions about what barricades to remove, if any.
She said she plans to post a summary of input from the October meetings on the city’s Web site, and possibly some scanned comments from residents. Though no future meetings are scheduled yet, Philpot said she would return to the council with a report early in 2010.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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