Snohomish County has no plan to relieve chokepoint on 164th

In KIRO Radio’s Chokepoints series, we take a closer look at the traffic issues plaguing commuters in the Puget Sound region.

Listener Stephanie Shadwick wrote in to ask about a stretch of 164th St. SW in unincorporated Snohomish County. She doesn’t think the road is big enough to handle new development in the area, and she believes selfish-drivers are a major contributor because they routinely block several of the intersections.

It’s only about a mile stretch of road where 164th St. SW approaches, then crosses over I-5. But this spot can be a nightmare, especially for the afternoon commute, which at this spot starts about 3 p.m.

There is a huge, at-capacity park-and-ride a block off the freeway at Ash Way, too. It dumps a lot of cars onto 164th, which is also a major contributor.

Jim Bloodgood is the traffic engineer for Snohomish County, which manages this corridor. He said this is a spot where multiple agencies have control over the flow of traffic.

“The county does not operate the ramp signals, the (Washington State Department of Transportation) does,” he said. “I work closely with them. What’s important is that the time on their controllers and the time on my controllers match. If they don’t match, we get into trouble.”

Occasionally, a light at the end of the freeway ramp will allow more cars off the freeway than can fit onto 164th, and drivers, as listener Stephanie wrote, “additively block the intersections.”

Bloodgood said there has never been an enforcement emphasis there to remind drivers it’s illegal to do that.

A nearby fire station also contributes to the congestion. The station takes a lot of calls and firefighters will preempt the signal timing. It takes about three cycles to get back on time.

Traffic on 164th is only going to get worse. Bloodgood said the county plans to continue allowing new developments in the neighborhood without making any changes to the road.

“This area is designated as an urban center in our comprehensive plan, so there is going to be more intense and higher-density development,” he said.

More apartment complexes, more people and more congestion are inevitable. The solution won’t make drivers happy. The county wants you walking or on the bus.

“That’s where we go to our traffic demand management system,” Bloodgood said. “We say, ‘Can you look at alternatives to driving your car.'”

Sorry Stephanie, and everyone else who drives 164th in Snohomish County, it’s going to get worse and the county knows it.