Issaquah next up for coordinated traffic lights

The second phase of the voter-backed Intelligent Transportation System is rolling out next month on crowded streets in Issaquah.

Work will begin by mid-August to coordinate traffic signals from East Lake Sammamish Parkway to portions of south Issaquah — including Front Street and Northwest Holly Street. A traffic-management center at City Hall will monitor traffic and adjust signal timing with a computer in case of backups or accidents.

By linking signals together, the lights turn red, yellow and green in a timed pattern that allows cars to drive more and stop less.

When complete by the end of 2007, the $3.6 million ITS project is expected to reduce traffic congestion by 15 percent through a combination of synchronized signals, cameras and real-time feeds to the city's Web site, city officials say. Part of the system is already operating on the Southeast 56th Street and SR 900 corridor.

The finished project will also feature four electronic reader boards in the city's traffic hot spots to alert drivers to accidents and other problems, said Fay Schafi, senior signal operations/ITS engineer.

"With that information, drivers will know if they need to choose alternate routes," Schafi said.

The last phase of the project will be installed in the Issaquah Highlands.

The city of Bellevue has used ITS since the mid-1970s and Redmond is now working on a similar system. Of the 89 signals in the Redmond, 41 will be linked to City Hall by early 2007, said Rob Crittenden, traffic operations manager. Coordinating signals will be critical to ease clogs at saturated junctions like 156th Avenue Northeast and 40th Street near the Microsoft campus, he said.

The city hopes to have nearly all of its traffic signals tied together by 2009, he said.

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com