Six cities will receive more than $244,000 to synchronize a total of 61 traffic signals in their jurisdictions thanks to a grant from King County Metro Transit. This year’s grants will go to the cities of Seattle, Kirkland, Issaquah, Shoreline, Federal Way and Bothell.

In the past four years, King County has awarded $1.47 million to cities across the county to re-time approximately 300 traffic signals in key transit corridors. Funding for the synchronization grants was made possible in November 2000, when voters approved the .2 percent sales tax that restored much of the funding for Metro Transit bus service following the loss of the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax. This will be the last year for the four-year grant project.

"Sitting in traffic does nothing to improve the quality of life for anyone," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "The success of this program over the past few years demonstrates that when we work together to pool funding and knowledge, we can deliver projects that make a real difference in our daily lives."

Sims said the results from projects completed in 2003 shows that signal synchronization does make a difference.

In one example, the city of Renton received a 2003 grant to re-time 16 signals in the corridor traveling east from the city center along Northeast 3rd, Northeast 4th and Southeast 128th Streets. The before-and-after results indicate overall travel time is now 26 to 30 percent faster.

The grants and projects for 2004 include:

• 10 signals along Seattle’s Northwest Market Street corridor from 24^th Avenue Northwest to Third Avenue Northwest;
• 24 signals along Greenwood/North 85^th from North 65^th to North 145^th in Seattle;
• 3 signals in Shoreline on Northeast 175^th Street from Meridian Avenue North to 15^th Avenue Northeast;
• 3 signals in Bothell on 195^th Street Northeast from North Creek Parkway to 120^th Avenue Northeast;
• 6 signals along Northeast 85^th Street in Kirkland from 114^th Avenue Northeast to 132^nd Avenue Northeast;
• 6 signals in Federal Way on 21^st Avenue Southwest between Southwest 336^th Street and Southwest 312^th Street; and
• 9 signals on East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast in Issaquah between Southeast 43^rd Street and Gilman Boulevard.

"This has been an excellent program for the county and the cities," said Sims. "We have focused on funding projects on key regional arterials, so that the signals work together to ease the traffic flow for transit buses and other vehicles."