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Existing Conditions
SR 169 is a north-south principal arterial that serves the City of Maple Valley (the City) and surrounding areas. It is an important commuter and freight corridor in the greater Puget Sound area. SR 169 serves as an alternative N-S route east of I-5 that connects I-405, SR 18 and SR 410. Continuous rapid growth in this region has increased the traffic volumes on SR 169 between SR 18 and Black Diamond. The City is situated within this corridor and has identified this corridor as a high priority for congestion relief, safety, access control, and multimodal connectivity. Traffic volumes have grown to 27,000 average daily trips on SR 169 (currently a two lane highway) and will continue to grow in the next 20 years. The SE 253rd Pl to SE 260th St segment of SR 169 is located adjacent to an elementary school. The AM/PM peak hour congestion is heightened by school drop off and pick up, which results in daily slowdowns and queuing on SR 169 and turn lanes. Side street access to SR 169 is also challenging and residents take high risk turns out onto SR 169 and the central two-way turn lane. SR 169 also lacks adequate active transportation facilities. Currently, active transportation users use the highway shoulder to get from residential areas to the school and other amenities. The City has developed a transportation plan for phased improvements and have constructed two segments of the corridor. This project would be the third segment and would benefit this growing corridor greatly.
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