The study covers the corridor from milepost 45.7 to milepost 52.3.
The Washington State Department of Transportation is asking the public to weigh in on proposed safety, pedestrian, bicycle and transit improvements along a 6.6-mile stretch of State Route 99 in Lynnwood and unincorporated Snohomish County.
WSDOT has opened an online survey seeking feedback on which improvements should be prioritized along SR 99 between 212th Street Southwest and Airport Road. The survey is open through Aug. 19 and is expected to take no more than 15 minutes.
The effort is part of WSDOT's SR 99 Lynnwood and Unincorporated Snohomish County Pre-Design Study, which was completed in March. The study covers the corridor from milepost 45.7 to milepost 52.3.
"It’s scary sometimes because you don’t see cars pulling out. They’ll zoom up over the hill and you have to jump up out of the way," Travis Tovar told KOMO News about the intersection at 148th Street.
"During the daytime I feel safe, but at night not really because I feel like it’s a really crowded road," Kayla Linadi said about the crossing at 196th Street.
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WSDOT said the study is intended to improve safety and connections for people walking, biking, rolling and accessing transit. The agency identified several problems along the corridor, including missing or inadequate sidewalks, a lack of bicycle facilities, long distances between controlled crossings and high vehicle speeds.
Crash data cited in the study shows 666 crashes resulting in fatalities or injuries along the corridor from 2019 through 2023. Of those, 62 resulted in a fatality or serious injury, including 16 fatal crashes.
Bike lanes, shared-use paths and new crossings
The study recommends a combination of corridor-wide changes and targeted improvements at specific locations.
Two corridor-wide concepts would add either separated bike lanes or shared-use paths. Both would include two general-purpose lanes and one Business Access and Transit lane in each direction, along with landscaped medians and buffers separating pedestrians and bicyclists from traffic.
Under the separated bike lane concept, the corridor would include 6-foot protected bike lanes, 8-foot sidewalks and 6-foot landscaped buffers. The shared-use path concept would instead provide 15-foot paths for pedestrians and bicyclists, with markings separating the two.
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WSDOT is also recommending four types of "spot treatments" at 37 locations along the corridor, not including the SR 525 interchange and 35th Avenue West. Those improvements could include shorter pedestrian crossings, additional traffic signals or pedestrian beacons, refuge islands, lighting, raised crosswalks and changes intended to reduce conflicts between vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists.
The recommendations also call for 17 additional controlled crossings along SR 99 and controlled crossings near all local and Swift bus stops.
Another recommendation would reduce the posted speed limit from 45 mph to 40 mph along the corridor, with further study of whether some areas should be reduced to 35 mph.
Changes proposed near SR 525 interchange
The SR 99 and SR 525 interchange is also targeted for potential changes. WSDOT's study describes the interchange as one of the most significant barriers to safer walking and biking along the corridor because of its high-speed ramps, limited lighting and lack of dedicated pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
A baseline concept would add pedestrian and bicycle facilities, modify ramps to reduce turning speeds and add flashing beacons at pedestrian crossings.
The study also recommends further consideration of a pedestrian overpass at SR 99 and Airport Road if a future light rail station is built there, as well as additional study of center-running bus rapid transit.
No funding identified for full plan
The improvements would come with a significant price tag. WSDOT estimates designing and constructing the full set of recommendations would cost between $660 million and $780 million in 2025 dollars. Potential right-of-way acquisition could add another $310 million to $370 million.
No funding has been identified to implement the full recommendations. WSDOT said projects could instead move forward in phases as funding becomes available through future capital projects, grants, redevelopment and partnerships with local governments and transit agencies.
The current online open house asks participants to review the proposed improvements and provide feedback on which should be prioritized first. WSDOT said the feedback will help shape priorities for bicycle and pedestrian improvements along the corridor.
