ACHD's Road Wizard
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Request for flashing yellow left-turn arrow at Cloverdale and Franklin roads during overpass closure; bike lane signs but no bike lanes along Victory Road approaching Federal Way; who should be trimming weeds along roads?
The Road Wizard Replies
Dear Road Wizard: Now that Cloverdale Road is closed for the next year between Franklin and Overland roads, what are the chances of making the left-turn lane from Franklin onto Cloverdale (in front of the Maverick Country Store) into a blinking yellow light after the green expires? Normally, there are two left-turn lanes but with Cloverdale shut down, only one lane is operational. It's such a long wait for the left-turn signal to turn to green. Can't we make it a flashing yellow until the work is finished?
Mike
Road Wizard:
Road signs alerting drivers to the Cloverdale overpass closure had to go somewhere, which is why one of the westbound left-turn lanes on Franklin to southbound Cloverdale is closed.
Double left turns must become a single lane in order to install flashing yellow left-turn signals, so why not go ahead and change the signal heads and pavement markings temporarily?
There is actually a simpler option that should work just as well in moving traffic through the turn. The westbound Franklin left turn onto southbound Cloverdale has been modified to be "re-serviced." That means the green arrow may appear twice during the same signal cycle if there is an adequate gap in opposing through traffic on Franklin. This should reduce the wait time at the turn throughout the day.
This is harder to provide during the evening commute, so the westbound left turn is also set to benefit from a "lagging left turn" arrangement. The westbound left-turn green arrow appears, or "lags" after eastbound through traffic gets a green light. Often, eastbound traffic is limited during this period, so that unused green time can transfer over to better serve the westbound left turn.
Dear Road Wizard: The other day I was biking along Victory Road between Federal Way and the stop sign at the railroad crossing, near Citadel Storage, and noticed there are "no parking, bike lane" signs along Victory. However, there are no white lines painted to indicate a bike lane along the right-hand side of the road. Was this perhaps an oversight after the last round of chip sealing?
Erin
Road Wizard:
Good catch! Looking through the bike lane lost and found box, I discovered that there should be bike lanes on Victory to go along with the signs for a distance of about 700 feet to the railroad tracks. I have no explanation for why they are not there, but a chip sealing cover-up is a good guess. ACHD will look into painting the bike lanes.
Dear Road Wizard: Some of us on Nextdoor are wondering if and where ACHD is responsible for roadside weeds. One example is the median island on Five Mile Road at Ustick Road. But there are also a lot of roadside, sidewalk, and fence-line weeds this time of year. Who is responsible for controlling/removing these weeds?
Lyle
Road Wizard:
It can be hard to keep track of who should be revving up the weed trimmer, but the side of the road is generally the responsibility of the land owner. Median islands like the one on Five Mile fall under the landscaping jurisdiction of ACHD.
Subdivisions will often enter into agreements with ACHD to maintain median islands. There are also locations along the road that are in ACHD's right of way that the agency handles. Street corners are typically ACHD's job as well.
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Road Wizard
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