At their work session on March 31, the City Council was updated on pavement marking changes on four roadway segments on minor arterials including 244th St SW between 56th and Gateway Place, 52nd Ave W between 212th and 220th and 236th between 54th and 48th and 48th and Cedar Way. The analysis shows that the changes in pavement markings have not impacted motor vehicle travel along these streets.

During the last two years, the city has modified pavement markings including adding bike lanes and converting four travel lanes to three lanes. These modifications were made on roads that were resurfaced, and therefore, required new pavement markings.

Prior to the modifications, there were concerns that the new configurations might affect traffic along these roads. To identify any changes, traffic volumes, roadway capacity utilization, and speeds were analyzed based on data collected before the changes were made and again at least six months after installation.

Volumes on 244th Street SW and on 52nd Avenue W have decreased slightly, consistent with overall decreases in traffic volumes in the city. Volumes on 236th Street SW have increased since the changes were implemented possibly due to increased utilization of the new Mountlake Terrace Transit Center.

Less than half of the roadway capacity of 52nd Avenue West, of 224th Street SW, and of 236th Street SW, between 48th and Cedar Way, is being used. Even with the increased traffic on 236th Street SW, about half of the capacity is still available on the segment between 48th and 54th.