120th Avenue Northeast Improvement Project Online Open House

The 120th Avenue: NE 16th to Northup Way Improvement Projects ideas forum is now closed.

Welcome

Welcome to the online open house for the 120th Avenue Northeast: Northeast 16th Street to Northup Way Improvement Project. We appreciate your taking the time to learn about how we’re planning ahead for the future needs of the BelRed area and designing a roadway that works better for everyone and makes travel safer.

Share your ideas

After you’ve learned more about the progress we’ve made, click on the tabs below to share your ideas with us. You can also use the “Q&A” tab to ask a question, and we’ll respond with an answer. The survey closes on Friday, April 16 at 5 p.m.

BelRed is transforming

As population and housing grow, the transportation system needs to grow too. One of the biggest transportation changes coming to the BelRed neighborhood is the future Spring District/120th Station as part of Sound Transit's East Link Extension Project. This important new transit hub will change how people use the 120th Avenue Northeast corridor, and the roadway needs to be updated to keep up with the changing neighborhood.

This is the final phase of the 120th Avenue Northeast Roadway Improvement project. Improvements we’re designing now will support the overall vision for the BelRed area to have a thriving economy, walkable neighborhoods, connections to parks and open spaces, environmental enhancements and a multi-modal transportation system.

Improvements under consideration

We’ve been working together with Sound Transit and King County Metro to design a corridor that has improved access and mobility for lots of different users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, transit users, and freight. For this final piece of 120th Avenue Northeast, we are looking to:

	Widen the roadway		Improve landscaping and lighting
	Install sidewalks and bike lanes		Enhance corridor signage
	Replace an undersized culvert to improve fish passage		Pave and stripe the roadway
	Upgrade utility and stormwater facilities

We were hard at work last year talking to properties along the corridor and designing these improvements! Today, our team is about 30% of the way done with our design work, and we want your help to make sure that we’re on the right track and help us complete the design. Click on the tabs below to learn more about the project design and the urban design and share your ideas with us.

Welcome

Share your ideas

BelRed is transforming

Improvements under consideration

	Widen the roadway		Improve landscaping and lighting
	Install sidewalks and bike lanes		Enhance corridor signage
	Replace an undersized culvert to improve fish passage		Pave and stripe the roadway
	Upgrade utility and stormwater facilities

The 120th Avenue: NE 16th to Northup Way Improvement Projects ideas forum is now closed.

If you have questions about the 120th Avenue Northeast Improvement Project or the community engagement process, ask it here. A staff member will review all questions and post responses here. This tool closes on Friday, April 16 at 5 p.m.

Thank you for stopping by our online open house and sharing your feedback!

Share Thank you for the earlier response regarding the rationale for widening to 5 lanes. In clarification, are congestion concerns limited to afternoon peak, or does it include morning peak as well? And do these concerns apply in the Southbound direction only, or both Southbound and Northbound? (My intuition is that only the southbound direction is susceptible to congestion due to the influence of the intersection at NE Spring blvd). If this is true, has there been any consideration to widening ONLY this direction and ONLY in this area? For instance - 5 lanes from NE Spring to NE 16th; 4 lanes (2 southbound, 1 center turn, 1 northbound) from NE 16th to NE 17th, and 2 or 3 lanes (1 in each direction + turn lane where appropriate) from NE 17th to Northup. on Facebook Share Thank you for the earlier response regarding the rationale for widening to 5 lanes. In clarification, are congestion concerns limited to afternoon peak, or does it include morning peak as well? And do these concerns apply in the Southbound direction only, or both Southbound and Northbound? (My intuition is that only the southbound direction is susceptible to congestion due to the influence of the intersection at NE Spring blvd). If this is true, has there been any consideration to widening ONLY this direction and ONLY in this area? For instance - 5 lanes from NE Spring to NE 16th; 4 lanes (2 southbound, 1 center turn, 1 northbound) from NE 16th to NE 17th, and 2 or 3 lanes (1 in each direction + turn lane where appropriate) from NE 17th to Northup. on Twitter Share Thank you for the earlier response regarding the rationale for widening to 5 lanes. In clarification, are congestion concerns limited to afternoon peak, or does it include morning peak as well? And do these concerns apply in the Southbound direction only, or both Southbound and Northbound? (My intuition is that only the southbound direction is susceptible to congestion due to the influence of the intersection at NE Spring blvd). If this is true, has there been any consideration to widening ONLY this direction and ONLY in this area? For instance - 5 lanes from NE Spring to NE 16th; 4 lanes (2 southbound, 1 center turn, 1 northbound) from NE 16th to NE 17th, and 2 or 3 lanes (1 in each direction + turn lane where appropriate) from NE 17th to Northup. on Linkedin Email Thank you for the earlier response regarding the rationale for widening to 5 lanes. In clarification, are congestion concerns limited to afternoon peak, or does it include morning peak as well? And do these concerns apply in the Southbound direction only, or both Southbound and Northbound? (My intuition is that only the southbound direction is susceptible to congestion due to the influence of the intersection at NE Spring blvd). If this is true, has there been any consideration to widening ONLY this direction and ONLY in this area? For instance - 5 lanes from NE Spring to NE 16th; 4 lanes (2 southbound, 1 center turn, 1 northbound) from NE 16th to NE 17th, and 2 or 3 lanes (1 in each direction + turn lane where appropriate) from NE 17th to Northup. link

Thank you for the earlier response regarding the rationale for widening to 5 lanes. In clarification, are congestion concerns limited to afternoon peak, or does it include morning peak as well? And do these concerns apply in the Southbound direction only, or both Southbound and Northbound? (My intuition is that only the southbound direction is susceptible to congestion due to the influence of the intersection at NE Spring blvd). If this is true, has there been any consideration to widening ONLY this direction and ONLY in this area? For instance - 5 lanes from NE Spring to NE 16th; 4 lanes (2 southbound, 1 center turn, 1 northbound) from NE 16th to NE 17th, and 2 or 3 lanes (1 in each direction + turn lane where appropriate) from NE 17th to Northup.

degnaw asked about 3 years ago

Hello degnaw,
Thanks for your follow up questions. I hope the following addresses them sufficiently. As this ideas forum closes Friday, April 16, please contact Jun An, project manager, at jan@bellevuewa.gov should you have additional questions.
Morning peak congestion
Traffic analysis along 120^th Avenue NE was conducted for the PM peak hour only which typically represents the highest levels of congestion during the day. The AM peak is expected to have similar or slightly better congestion levels when compared to the PM peak.
Southbound direction
Under PM peak conditions, congestion generally occurs in the southbound direction under the 2-lane scenario, but there are some intersection approaches that will experience congestion in the northbound direction also under the 2-lane option due to traffic signal timing.
The design team is currently re-assessing the number of through lanes throughout this project length to ensure we have an optimal roadway section that serves the needs of all modes of users.
Share Expanding the roadway to two lanes in each direction is desirable. My wishes are: 1.) Synchronize the timing of the lighting along this corridor to NE 4th street. The added light at NE Spring street and the older one where Bel-Red meets 120th Ave NE are completely out of sync in either direction. This is easy to do and would reduce gas consumption along the corridor. This has been done very successfully along the full length of 148th, which you should consider as a model for what I am suggesting. Not to dwell on this, but a similar improvements could be made for the lights on 116th NE 10 and at Felix Terry Swistak Dr NE (Overlake Hospital). 2.) Improve pedestrian safety at 10th and Northup Way. The left turn light from westbound Northup Way onto 120th changes from red to flashing yellow while the pedestrian light for crossing 120th is still active. I have nearly been hit trying to cross this intersection from the trucks and cars turning left off of Northup. Once I had to step back from the middle of the intersection to avoid the back wheels of a long Coke truck making the turn on the yellow light. Other intersections in Bellevue have the turn light stay red until the pedestrian light has finished, like the East bound NE 12th turn onto North going 120th NE. 3.) Improve the visibility for entering 120th NE going south from the Northup center (across from the new BMW store). Cars and even city work crews park up close to this drive, forcing you to enter the intersection to see if any traffic is coming North on 120th. There is a 'No Parking' sign that should be stopping this, but it was knocked out by a truck five years ago and has never been 'replanted' by the city. I have personally propped it up against the bushes there in its designated spot, but others knock it over to use the area for parking. Another consideration would be to put a convex mirror across the street so that we can see traffic on 120th to the south while exiting Northup Center. 4.) Before spending a fortune on fish and wildlife passage under 120th, please have your biologists look at what species would actually use this marshy corridor. I have worked along the drainage for over thirty years and have seen no evidence of fish in the water, when the water is there. Even the Geese and Ducks prefer NE 8th street for some unknown reason. There was one Beaver I remember that chewed a tree down across the entrance to 520 from 405 South about 15 years ago! Summary: Please focus most strongly on pedestrian traffic, then on making the corridor smoothly engage its extensions. Sincerely, Dean on Facebook Share Expanding the roadway to two lanes in each direction is desirable. My wishes are: 1.) Synchronize the timing of the lighting along this corridor to NE 4th street. The added light at NE Spring street and the older one where Bel-Red meets 120th Ave NE are completely out of sync in either direction. This is easy to do and would reduce gas consumption along the corridor. This has been done very successfully along the full length of 148th, which you should consider as a model for what I am suggesting. Not to dwell on this, but a similar improvements could be made for the lights on 116th NE 10 and at Felix Terry Swistak Dr NE (Overlake Hospital). 2.) Improve pedestrian safety at 10th and Northup Way. The left turn light from westbound Northup Way onto 120th changes from red to flashing yellow while the pedestrian light for crossing 120th is still active. I have nearly been hit trying to cross this intersection from the trucks and cars turning left off of Northup. Once I had to step back from the middle of the intersection to avoid the back wheels of a long Coke truck making the turn on the yellow light. Other intersections in Bellevue have the turn light stay red until the pedestrian light has finished, like the East bound NE 12th turn onto North going 120th NE. 3.) Improve the visibility for entering 120th NE going south from the Northup center (across from the new BMW store). Cars and even city work crews park up close to this drive, forcing you to enter the intersection to see if any traffic is coming North on 120th. There is a 'No Parking' sign that should be stopping this, but it was knocked out by a truck five years ago and has never been 'replanted' by the city. I have personally propped it up against the bushes there in its designated spot, but others knock it over to use the area for parking. Another consideration would be to put a convex mirror across the street so that we can see traffic on 120th to the south while exiting Northup Center. 4.) Before spending a fortune on fish and wildlife passage under 120th, please have your biologists look at what species would actually use this marshy corridor. I have worked along the drainage for over thirty years and have seen no evidence of fish in the water, when the water is there. Even the Geese and Ducks prefer NE 8th street for some unknown reason. There was one Beaver I remember that chewed a tree down across the entrance to 520 from 405 South about 15 years ago! Summary: Please focus most strongly on pedestrian traffic, then on making the corridor smoothly engage its extensions. Sincerely, Dean on Twitter Share Expanding the roadway to two lanes in each direction is desirable. My wishes are: 1.) Synchronize the timing of the lighting along this corridor to NE 4th street. The added light at NE Spring street and the older one where Bel-Red meets 120th Ave NE are completely out of sync in either direction. This is easy to do and would reduce gas consumption along the corridor. This has been done very successfully along the full length of 148th, which you should consider as a model for what I am suggesting. Not to dwell on this, but a similar improvements could be made for the lights on 116th NE 10 and at Felix Terry Swistak Dr NE (Overlake Hospital). 2.) Improve pedestrian safety at 10th and Northup Way. The left turn light from westbound Northup Way onto 120th changes from red to flashing yellow while the pedestrian light for crossing 120th is still active. I have nearly been hit trying to cross this intersection from the trucks and cars turning left off of Northup. Once I had to step back from the middle of the intersection to avoid the back wheels of a long Coke truck making the turn on the yellow light. Other intersections in Bellevue have the turn light stay red until the pedestrian light has finished, like the East bound NE 12th turn onto North going 120th NE. 3.) Improve the visibility for entering 120th NE going south from the Northup center (across from the new BMW store). Cars and even city work crews park up close to this drive, forcing you to enter the intersection to see if any traffic is coming North on 120th. There is a 'No Parking' sign that should be stopping this, but it was knocked out by a truck five years ago and has never been 'replanted' by the city. I have personally propped it up against the bushes there in its designated spot, but others knock it over to use the area for parking. Another consideration would be to put a convex mirror across the street so that we can see traffic on 120th to the south while exiting Northup Center. 4.) Before spending a fortune on fish and wildlife passage under 120th, please have your biologists look at what species would actually use this marshy corridor. I have worked along the drainage for over thirty years and have seen no evidence of fish in the water, when the water is there. Even the Geese and Ducks prefer NE 8th street for some unknown reason. There was one Beaver I remember that chewed a tree down across the entrance to 520 from 405 South about 15 years ago! Summary: Please focus most strongly on pedestrian traffic, then on making the corridor smoothly engage its extensions. Sincerely, Dean on Linkedin Email Expanding the roadway to two lanes in each direction is desirable. My wishes are: 1.) Synchronize the timing of the lighting along this corridor to NE 4th street. The added light at NE Spring street and the older one where Bel-Red meets 120th Ave NE are completely out of sync in either direction. This is easy to do and would reduce gas consumption along the corridor. This has been done very successfully along the full length of 148th, which you should consider as a model for what I am suggesting. Not to dwell on this, but a similar improvements could be made for the lights on 116th NE 10 and at Felix Terry Swistak Dr NE (Overlake Hospital). 2.) Improve pedestrian safety at 10th and Northup Way. The left turn light from westbound Northup Way onto 120th changes from red to flashing yellow while the pedestrian light for crossing 120th is still active. I have nearly been hit trying to cross this intersection from the trucks and cars turning left off of Northup. Once I had to step back from the middle of the intersection to avoid the back wheels of a long Coke truck making the turn on the yellow light. Other intersections in Bellevue have the turn light stay red until the pedestrian light has finished, like the East bound NE 12th turn onto North going 120th NE. 3.) Improve the visibility for entering 120th NE going south from the Northup center (across from the new BMW store). Cars and even city work crews park up close to this drive, forcing you to enter the intersection to see if any traffic is coming North on 120th. There is a 'No Parking' sign that should be stopping this, but it was knocked out by a truck five years ago and has never been 'replanted' by the city. I have personally propped it up against the bushes there in its designated spot, but others knock it over to use the area for parking. Another consideration would be to put a convex mirror across the street so that we can see traffic on 120th to the south while exiting Northup Center. 4.) Before spending a fortune on fish and wildlife passage under 120th, please have your biologists look at what species would actually use this marshy corridor. I have worked along the drainage for over thirty years and have seen no evidence of fish in the water, when the water is there. Even the Geese and Ducks prefer NE 8th street for some unknown reason. There was one Beaver I remember that chewed a tree down across the entrance to 520 from 405 South about 15 years ago! Summary: Please focus most strongly on pedestrian traffic, then on making the corridor smoothly engage its extensions. Sincerely, Dean link

Expanding the roadway to two lanes in each direction is desirable. My wishes are: 1.) Synchronize the timing of the lighting along this corridor to NE 4th street. The added light at NE Spring street and the older one where Bel-Red meets 120th Ave NE are completely out of sync in either direction. This is easy to do and would reduce gas consumption along the corridor. This has been done very successfully along the full length of 148th, which you should consider as a model for what I am suggesting. Not to dwell on this, but a similar improvements could be made for the lights on 116th NE 10 and at Felix Terry Swistak Dr NE (Overlake Hospital). 2.) Improve pedestrian safety at 10th and Northup Way. The left turn light from westbound Northup Way onto 120th changes from red to flashing yellow while the pedestrian light for crossing 120th is still active. I have nearly been hit trying to cross this intersection from the trucks and cars turning left off of Northup. Once I had to step back from the middle of the intersection to avoid the back wheels of a long Coke truck making the turn on the yellow light. Other intersections in Bellevue have the turn light stay red until the pedestrian light has finished, like the East bound NE 12th turn onto North going 120th NE. 3.) Improve the visibility for entering 120th NE going south from the Northup center (across from the new BMW store). Cars and even city work crews park up close to this drive, forcing you to enter the intersection to see if any traffic is coming North on 120th. There is a 'No Parking' sign that should be stopping this, but it was knocked out by a truck five years ago and has never been 'replanted' by the city. I have personally propped it up against the bushes there in its designated spot, but others knock it over to use the area for parking. Another consideration would be to put a convex mirror across the street so that we can see traffic on 120th to the south while exiting Northup Center. 4.) Before spending a fortune on fish and wildlife passage under 120th, please have your biologists look at what species would actually use this marshy corridor. I have worked along the drainage for over thirty years and have seen no evidence of fish in the water, when the water is there. Even the Geese and Ducks prefer NE 8th street for some unknown reason. There was one Beaver I remember that chewed a tree down across the entrance to 520 from 405 South about 15 years ago! Summary: Please focus most strongly on pedestrian traffic, then on making the corridor smoothly engage its extensions. Sincerely, Dean

Dean asked about 3 years ago

Dear Dean,
Thank you for your detailed observations and questions. I hope the following sufficiently addresses them without sounding too technical.
Traffic signal timing
Your observation is correct. Traffic signals along NE Spring Blvd are not currently synchronized due to low traffic volumes. We want to reduce overall delay times by not keeping the “green” direction too long when there are no (or very minimal) cars. We’ll continue to monitor traffic flow along the roadways in BelRed and determine which corridor would receive synchronization priority. We are expecting to see increase in traffic volumes once Facebook building is occupied and Spring District/120^th Station is in operation.
We have forwarded your concern about the traffic signals near Overlake to our traffic engineers who will review signal timing. However, to ensure your specific request is entered into our tracking system, please submit the request through our My Bellevue Customer Assistance portal or smart phone app. (https://bellevuewa.gov/city-government/departments/finance/mybellevue/customer-assistance)
Pedestrian safety at 120^th/Northup Way
As you observed, the pedestrian crossing signal and left turn for drivers at the intersection of 120^th Ave NE and Northup Way happen at the same time. This configuration is allowed per city and national traffic engineering standards. Another configuration is that they happen separately.
Making the determination of each configuration is based on the number of people walking and drivers turning left, land use, pedestrian wait time, cycle length and historical operation. The city will be evaluating some of our signal operations to enhance safety as part of our Vision Zero initiative, but any modifications would be independent of the 120^th Avenue: NE 16^th Street to Northup Way improvement project.
Improved visibility
The 120^th Avenue: NE 16^th Street to Northup Way project is proposing to remove the current shoulder that cars often park on which eliminates visibility issue entering 120^th Ave NE from Northup Center, heading southbound.
A work order was initiated on the fallen “No Parking” sign which has been repaired.
Fish passage
Our biologist and environmental team are currently studying the stream crossing (fish passage). State policies and regulations require design of culverts to provide wildlife and passage for fish that might use the system if artificial barriers downstream were eliminated. We are currently working to remove all fish passage barriers along the West Tributary to improve habitat conditions and the ability for fish to move within the stream. This will also allow for more effective management of stormwater runoff and sediment movement.
A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife web viewer (http://apps.wdfw.wa.gov/salmonscape/map.html) shows resident cutthroat trout in this stream . It’s possible that sculpins and other resident fish may be found in the Tributary.
Thank you again for your comments and suggestions.
Share What is the rationale for widening this segment to 5 lanes? The only demand I see would be: 1. Spring district to/from the "pike's peak" area (sparsely populated) 2. Spring district to/from west Northup (2 lane and relatively low density) 3. Local access to East Northup/520 for the Bellevue SD lot and for the Sound Transit OMF All other traffic would be better served via other routes, particularly 124th Ave NE. As such it seems one lane in each direction should be more than sufficient to handle all potential demand, even with full buildout of the Spring District. on Facebook Share What is the rationale for widening this segment to 5 lanes? The only demand I see would be: 1. Spring district to/from the "pike's peak" area (sparsely populated) 2. Spring district to/from west Northup (2 lane and relatively low density) 3. Local access to East Northup/520 for the Bellevue SD lot and for the Sound Transit OMF All other traffic would be better served via other routes, particularly 124th Ave NE. As such it seems one lane in each direction should be more than sufficient to handle all potential demand, even with full buildout of the Spring District. on Twitter Share What is the rationale for widening this segment to 5 lanes? The only demand I see would be: 1. Spring district to/from the "pike's peak" area (sparsely populated) 2. Spring district to/from west Northup (2 lane and relatively low density) 3. Local access to East Northup/520 for the Bellevue SD lot and for the Sound Transit OMF All other traffic would be better served via other routes, particularly 124th Ave NE. As such it seems one lane in each direction should be more than sufficient to handle all potential demand, even with full buildout of the Spring District. on Linkedin Email What is the rationale for widening this segment to 5 lanes? The only demand I see would be: 1. Spring district to/from the "pike's peak" area (sparsely populated) 2. Spring district to/from west Northup (2 lane and relatively low density) 3. Local access to East Northup/520 for the Bellevue SD lot and for the Sound Transit OMF All other traffic would be better served via other routes, particularly 124th Ave NE. As such it seems one lane in each direction should be more than sufficient to handle all potential demand, even with full buildout of the Spring District. link

What is the rationale for widening this segment to 5 lanes? The only demand I see would be: 1. Spring district to/from the "pike's peak" area (sparsely populated) 2. Spring district to/from west Northup (2 lane and relatively low density) 3. Local access to East Northup/520 for the Bellevue SD lot and for the Sound Transit OMF All other traffic would be better served via other routes, particularly 124th Ave NE. As such it seems one lane in each direction should be more than sufficient to handle all potential demand, even with full buildout of the Spring District.

degnaw asked about 3 years ago
Dear degnaw. Thank you for your questions.
A traffic analysis for this phase of the project is currently underway. Based on the corridor study and Transportation Technical Report completed in 2011 for the full corridor, the widening is needed to support and accommodate the City’s adopted future lane use changes and resulting traffic demands. This project (NE 16th Street to Northup Way) is the final phase of a multi-phase project along the 120^th corridor.
Under the future long-range forecast (year 2045), the 2-lane (1 lane in each direction) option is expected to experience congestion at key intersections along 120^th Avenue NE; particularly for the section between NE 16^th Street (future street) and NE 19^th Street. This is mainly due to the traffic demand generated by proposed developments, including the transit-oriented development (TOD) to the east of 120^th near 16^th and 17^th streets and the spacing of the some of the intersections at NE 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th streets as well as the south access to Sound Transit’s Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF-E) access.
Under afternoon (p.m.) peak conditions, vehicle queuing is expected to spill back to upstream intersections at some of these locations under the 2-lane scenario. With the widening to provide 2 lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, most of the vehicle queue spill back issues are alleviated and the travel times along the corridor improve by 6%-17% when compared to the 2-lane scenarios.
The BelRed area is experiencing growth as envisioned by the adopted BelRed Subarea Plan. Some of the key growth includes:
- Facebook’s future office space (400,000 square-foot) located between 120^th Ave NE and 124^th Ave NE just south of NE Spring Blvd.
- Global Innovation eXchange Institute’s (GIX) campus (100,000 square-foot) located between 120^th Ave NE and 124^th Ave NE just south of NE Spring Blvd.
- Sound Transit’s East Link light rail Spring District/120^th Station opening in 2023.
- The planned TOD contains more than 1 million square feet of mix-use, multi-family residential, retail, office and public space.

120th Avenue Northeast Improvement Project Online Open House

Welcome

Share your ideas

BelRed is transforming

Improvements under consideration

Welcome

Share your ideas

BelRed is transforming

Improvements under consideration

Who's Listening

Project Website

Documents

Timeline

30% design – Q1 2021

60% design – Q2 & Q3 2021

Final design – Q4 2021

Design phase completed – Q1 2022

Corridor ROW and construction – TBD

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