Issaquah-Pine Lake Road Improvements Project

Thank you to everyone who filled out our survey! The survey is now closed, but you can read through the revised design highlights, explore what we’ve heard from community members, and ask any questions below. Please check back for project updates and/or subscribe to our project email list – just look for the “STAY INFORMED” box on this page!

Project overview

The City of Sammamish plans to improve Issaquah-Pine Lake Road Southeast from Southeast 32nd Way to Southeast 44th Street (see the map below). Issaquah-Pine Lake Road is a critical corridor for existing and new residential developments, multiple schools, and commercial areas. The project will aim to improve traffic flow and safety for all users.

Check out the revised design!

Our team has incorporated two rounds of public input into our design to improve the Issaquah-Pine Lake Road corridor. We are now at 60% design, meaning that most of the big elements are already set, but there is room to provide input on the finer details.

Please review the proposed improvements below and ask any questions at the bottom of the page. You can also download a PDF of the full 60% design (For questions or more information about these details, please contact Jed Ireland at 425-295-0563 or jireland@sammamish.us.).

Proposed improvements

*Indicates a new addition or emphasized element based on our last round of public input.

Create a multimodal roadway for people who walk, roll, drive, bike, and ride public transit.

• Include 5-foot wide bike lanes and six-foot wide sidewalks on both sides of the road for the entire project length*
• Maintain current bus stops locations and add 12-foot wide sidewalks to provide waiting area*
• Add signaled crosswalks at Southeast 44th Street, Southeast Klahanie Boulevard, Southeast 42nd Street, Southeast 37th Place, and Southeast 32nd Way*
• Minimize impacts to trees*
• Maintain one travel lane in each direction from Southeast 32nd Way to Southeast Klahanie Boulevard (with additional turn lanes or pockets where needed)
• Maintain two travel lanes in each direction from Southeast Klahanie Boulevard to Southeast 44th Street (with additional turn lanes or pockets where needed)

Click here to see a larger version of the illustration above.

Improve safety for all users.

• Add a landscaped buffer to separate sidewalks from the roadway where possible without impacting trees*
• Install a new signal with a crosswalk at Southeast 37th Place for people crossing to the bus stop*
• Increase roadway lighting, using LED lighting that minimize impacts to nearby residents*
• Building a raised landscaped center median at select areas of the corridor
• Reduce median from 10 feet to 8 feet, providing additional space for emergency vehicles*

Improve intersection performance.

• Replace the roundabout at Southeast 32nd Way with a traffic signal
• Allow for southbound to northbound U-turns at the Southeast 32nd Way intersection*
• Add traffic signals at Southeast 37th Place and Southeast 44th Street
• Add left-turn pockets and two-way left turn lanes for most of the project length*
• Add right-turn pockets where necessary

Incorporate water quality upgrades.

• Create flow-control and water quality improvements within Laughing Jacobs Basin
• Add fish-passable culverts at Laughing Jacobs Creek and Stream C

Working with the community

Since 2018, we’ve reached out to area residents, schools, churches, businesses, community groups, and organizations to learn about their priorities for people who live, walk, use a wheelchair, bike, drive, and ride transit on Issaquah-Pine Lake Road.

In fall 2018, the City developed a preliminary design to improve the Issaquah-Pine Lake Road corridor and gathered input through stakeholder interviews, a public meeting, and an online survey. The results from that first round of feedback informed a new, more detailed design that we shared with the community in early 2020. At that point, we gathered community input again through interviews, a public meeting, and an online survey and Q&A. We incorporated the results of that second round of public input in the 60% design.

What we’ve heard so far

Below we have summarized the major public input themes. Major themes are drawn from public comments that appeared six or more times. You can delve into more details and see how the City responded to each theme in our 30% Design Outreach Summary.

• Broad support for the project design and improvements
• Desire to see improvements made on Issaquah-Pine Lake Road to help reduce congestion (particularly during school drop-off and pick-up times) and increase safety
• Emphasis on improving intersections and turns from and onto Issaquah-Pine Lake Road for all users, particularly near key locations such as schools
• Skepticism that the two- to three-lane configuration in the proposed design is sufficient for current and future traffic levels, even with other improvements to traffic flow
• Mixed views on roundabouts versus traffic signals, but overall, more support for traffic signals
• Request to consider bus stop pull-outs for King County Metro buses so that they do not block traffic
• Support for proposed bicycle improvements; suggestions to create greater distance between bicycle and traffic lanes to avoid conflicts between people who drive and bike
• Appreciation for pedestrian infrastructure proposed in the design, including improved sidewalks and crosswalks
• Push to avoid cutting trees along Issaquah-Pine Lake Road for project purposes and to add more trees along project corridor
• Suggestion to extend the project area to include Issaquah-Pine Lake Road further south through the intersection with Issaquah-Fall City Road and beyond
• Request to reduce existing and potential noise and light pollution along the project corridor
• Urging to minimize construction duration and impacts to the community
• Appeal for project to continue to inform and involve the public in the decision-making process, including diverse communities in the area, such as South Asian American and Chinese American communities
  
  

Next steps

The Issaquah-Pine Lake Road Improvements project is at 60% design. As mentioned above, most of the big elements are already set, but we are still refining the details. We have collected some public input through our fall survey and will announce future opportunities to share your thoughts in 2021. In the meantime, you can ask questions below and/or contact Jed Ireland at 425-295-0563 or jireland@sammamish.us.

The City will review and consider feedback from community members for 90% design. Once the we finalize the design and complete the nearby Issaquah-Fall City Road project construction, we will acquire necessary right of way and begin construction.