New four-way stop signs coming to intersection of 220th St. SW. and 58th Ave. W.

A new four-way stop sign is being installed at the intersection of 58th Ave. W. and 220th St. SW. (Photos by David Pan)
A new four-way stop sign set-up is being installed at the intersection of 220th St. SW. and 58th Ave. W. (Photos by David Pan)

Mountlake Terrace Public Works crews have begun work on installing four-way stop signs at the intersection of 220th St. SW. and 58th Ave. W.

The holes have been dug for the stop signs, which are being installed as part of the new Brighton School project. The school is located at 21705 58th Ave. W. and is scheduled to be opening this fall. Brighton School is paying the costs for the new four-way stop sign setup.

The stop signs will have a beacon flashing on top of the signs and are not scheduled to be operational until sometime after next week.

Four holes have been dug for the new stop signs.
Four holes have been dug for the new stop signs.
    1. While anyone can attend council meetings, I don’t think the council opens up stuff like this publicly for discussion as they know there will be backlash, so they pass these things knowing that ‘if the community wants to know, they’ll look into it’. It’s our own fault as the public for not checking on them and it sounds to me like it’s high time a group organizes to routinely attend meetings and keep the council in check, as it appears they are kind of going off on their own and not bringing things to the community as a whole. Obviously, all of MLT cannot attend a council meeting, and obviously the council is not openly bringing things to the community, so we need to step in, take notes and get info to the public about the junk that is going on. This is a commuting disaster, and we already have a commuting disaster with all the other changes…. and for a community that is a sparse 4.1 square miles, that is pathetic.

    2. The issue of the four-way stop signs versus a roundabout or a traffic light was discussed at City Council meetings in January. See story. There seemed to be a consensus among City staff and the Council that a roundabout or traffic light would be a better solution than the four-way stop signs. But the City currently doesn’t have money in the budget for either. Roundabouts and traffic lights are expensive.

  1. So, the city should have denied the traffic revision then…. again, shame on us for not keeping tabs on the people we have elected, and helping to prevent them from making poor decisions.

  2. Oh wait a minute…. “Brighton School is paying the costs for the new four-way stop sign setup.”…. if the Brighton School is paying for it, what does the cost of the traffic revision have to do with the city budget? If Brighton was only willing to pay for a four-way stop, then they shouldn’t get it if it’s not what is recommended by city staff and council….. they should pay for what IS recommended if they want a revision, and that revision, if deemed necessary by a private entity (which Brighton school is, a PRIVATE school), should go to public review…

    This whole thing stinks to high heaven…. we as citizens should be furious. I know I am.

  3. Stupid stupid stupid place for a 4 way stop that close to the freeway on that type of main road. Is this happening for pedestrian reasons ? Why not just put button activated solar powered L.E.D. flashing warning lights for the cross walk and have school supplied adult crossing guards during school opening and closing ? The crossing guard could hit the button just before holding out their flag and crossing pedestrians. During non school pedestrian traffic, a pedestrian could use the same button and flashing crossing lights and cross safely. A 4 way stop there really ? 24 hrs a day really ? Makes about as much sense as putting a digital current your speed sign east bound 1/2 a block away from 56th where half the traffic slows to turn right and half the traffic goes straight. That poor sign 1/2 the time does not know which car to read the speed off of. Not to mention, the digital distraction when a driver should be paying attention to foot and car traffic at an intersection, not a digital sign that always reads the wrong speed ! Move that stupid sign another block or two east and it would work perfectly to E/B traffic approaching the school at 52nd. Come on !! A 4 way there ? Really ?

    1. After researching “Brighton School” to see what it was, I see it is a private school, and that this issue is more about traffic, not pedestrians. I still feel that a 4 way here is crazy though. Should be interesting since 220th is 4 lanes. My comment above was while I was thinking this was for pedestrian safety, not traffic flow.

  4. As if the intersection of 236th and 56th isn’t screwed up enough lets screw up the only other option this city has to get to the freeway. It’s all about development and making this city a “Walk able” city. Remember they don’t want you driving in Mountlake Terrace. Bad decision by your elected officials! Glad to see some of you are finally coming around and starting to pay attention to what our elected officials are doing.

  5. For everyone asking for background or public process on this there was a very in depth discussion and public comment on this at the January 26, 2015 City Council Work/Study Session. The Council’s discussion alone was about half an hour and the vast majority of the public comments were in favor of a roundabout, which also seemed to be the preference of City staff and the Council. It might take a couple years to find funding for the roundabout but that’s likely what will be built. If you have concerns it is worth your time to listen to the meeting, the discussion starts at about 36 minutes in. https://mountlaketerrace.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=874

  6. Brighton is in the picture now but over the long term, the traffic related to that school is a small part of what will affect 220th and 58th.

    As the Town Center development progresses and traffic on 56th becomes ever slower, and as the Gateway Connector development progresses and more traffic is seen on and around 56th, 58th Avenue West will be come more and more of a thoroughfare, if for no other reason than to avoid the hassle of dealing with traffic – and parking – on 56th. I’ve already noticed spillover parking on the street, and in across-the-street business lots, when Diamond Knot is hopping, and that’s just one popular business. It isn’t hard to envision what will happen when there are at least a few others close by.

    At a point in the not-too-distant future, a four-way stop (which seems plenty, for now) on the corner in question won’t be enough. Either a signal or something else will have to replace it. The money can come from assessments on future Town Center mixed-use projects, so paying for it isn’t the issue.

    The issue is the change in traffic flows that Town Center will see. This is part of the plan. The stop sign is an inexpensive first part of a likely incremental approach to dealing with that change.

    Something for 58th Ave residents and their neighbors to think about if the City again tries to build a major civic center in addition to City Hall. That will be located on 58th, as well.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Real first and last names — as well as city of residence — are required for all commenters.
This is so we can verify your identity before approving your comment.

By commenting here you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct. Please read our code at the bottom of this page before commenting.