Ribbon Cutting ceremony with Mayor Mike Nelson and city leaders on Thursday along Highway 99. A a new ‘Welcome to Edmonds’ behind them.
This was a ribbon-cutting day in Edmonds as the City moved closer to revitalizing Highway 99.
As a shiny new “Welcome to Edmonds” sign sat over his shoulder, Mayor Mike Nelson made a humbling admission “Historically our city has not provided enough attention to this part of our town.”
A 2-mile long, neatly landscaped median, might not scream progress; but better turn lanes and crosswalks makes a statement “It’s going to reduce vehicle crashes by 37%, it’s going to reduce pedestrian accidents by 45%. Nelson told a small crowd “This is the most dangerous roadway in our city.”
Safer road designs are getting a lot of attention in Olympia as the state legislature works to slow a record number of traffic injuries and deaths.
“That will include an intersection widening project” assistant Public Works director Rob English on the finer points of the project “We’ll be adding bike lanes, medians, sidewalks along that stretch between 220th & 224th.”
There are several phases to this Highway 99 project “It’s a priority for me that we not just talk about it, but that we actually deliver.”
Ten acres in that area, eight football fields as the mayor put it, has the best chance of making a big splash “Whether they’re city services, senior housing, police sub-stations, community centers; the list is vast and that’s going to be an 18-month long process.”
That screams we’re doing something, even if most don’t notice, yet.
