Redmond council OKs left-turn lanes at Hwy. 126, 35th Street

(Update with decision, comments from mayor, church pastor)

The Redmond City Council approved Tuesday night a $447,751 contract with Bar Seven A Companies Inc. for the construction of left-turn lanes at the intersection of Highway 126 and Southwest 35th Street, officials said Monday.

The city said the proposed dedicated turn lanes will improve safety at the intersection.

“The main problem in here is people will stop, particularly when they’re heading west,” City Engineer Mike Caccavano said Tuesday. “They’ll stop to make a left turn onto 35th Street, and people that are driving on there might not be paying as much attention when traffic stops ahead of them. We have a lot of rear-end collisions.”

If approved, construction will begin in late June, with completion scheduled by Oct. 30 .

“This intersection has a history of collisions, and finding a solution to make it safer has been a high priority for Redmond City Council,” Mayor George Endicott said.

“Over a three-year period, 10 of 13 collisions have been rear-end types from vehicles failing to stop when traffic ahead was stopped waiting to turn,” he said. “Adding… left-turn lanes to the intersection will be a significant safety improvement, and I look forward to seeing them drastically reduce the incidents of dangerous driving behaviors we have been experiencing at that location.”

Mayor George Endicott said the project is due to be done by October.

“The plan is to minimally disrupt traffic by doing all of the main line (126) construction on the north side of the highway,” he said Wednesday.

Barry Campbell, lead pastor at Highland Baptist Church, which is located at the intersection, said it’s a good start.

“I’m very happy to see a left-hand turn lane there, and that will help,” Campbell said. “In my opinion, I’m not sure that will be quite enough. I think a signal is really what’s needed there.”

Recent traffic studies revealed both current and forecast traffic counts do not meet the required thresholds to install a traffic signal at the intersection, the city added. Further analysis recommended the best way to improve safety would be the construction of left-turn lanes.

Caccavano said they aren’t ruling out lights in the future. In fact, he said, they will most likely add them as the city grows.

“They may be there before too long. (Our master plan) calls for a signal in here eventually,” he said.

An additional long-term safety improvement measure of widening Highway 126 from SW Rimrock Avenue to 35 th Street is in the city’s Transportation System Plan for the 2016-2020 time frame.

“The city and ODOT will continue to monitor the intersection,” said City Engineer Mike Caccavano. “Should we experience significant growth in traffic volume, pedestrian crossings, speed or other threshold considerations, we will work to develop additional improvements.”

The project is fully funded by system development charges, officials said.

For more information about the project, contact Caccavano at 541-504-2011 or mike.caccavano@ci.redmond.or.us