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LYNNWOOD, Wash., September 15, 2023—Lynnwood Public Works will be holding an Open House on September 26 from 6-8 p.m. at the Lynnwood Council Chamber for public feedback on improving the traffic flow at Costco near Alderwood Mall Parkway and 33^rd Avenue West.

In 2009, Lynnwood High School relocated which opened up the area for redevelopment. Since then, Costco, Home Depot, and The Woods at Alderwood apartment complex were built along with several restaurants moving in the newly available retail space. The redevelopment saw the construction of a new road, 33^rd Avenue West, which connects to 184^th Street SW in the south and Alderwood Mall Parkway in the north. This road now acts as an alternative to Alderwood Mall Parkway relieving traffic on 184^th Street SW heading east.

“We call it the 33^rd Avenue Ring Road,” said City Engineer David Mach. “When that got built, it opened…the congestion on 184^th almost went away. People started to discover this ring road and unfortunately it got so discovered that now that bottleneck that use to occur on 184^th now we’re experiencing on 33^rd.”

The study area for the improvement is the portion of 33^rd Ave W just north of Costco. During peak intervals, traffic heading east on 33^rd Avenue W are constrained by two successive traffic lights—one at 30^th Place W and a second, 225 feet away, at Alderwood Mall Parkway.

Public Works will be presenting three alternatives for the public to consider:

Alternative 1: Remove traffic light at 30^th Place W and add a roundabout at the Costco entrance on 33^rd Avenue W. This would eliminate left turns onto 30^th Place W from 33^rd Avenue W heading east and only allow a right turn from 30^th Place W onto 33^rd Avenue W. The commuter from 30^th Place W would have to utilize the roundabout to head east on 33^rd Avenue W towards Alderwood Mall Parkway. This would also provide approximately 700 feet of “vehicle storage capacity” on 33^rd Avenue W towards Alderwood Mall Parkway.

Alternative 2: Leave traffic light at 30^th Place W but restrict a left turn at the traffic light. This would eliminate left turns onto 30^th Place W from 33^rd Avenue W heading east and only allow a right turn from 30^th Place W onto 33^rd Avenue W.  There is no roundabout for a commuter from 30^th Place W to utilize to head east on 33^rd Avenue W towards Alderwood Mall Parkway.

Alternative 3: Add a lane a new through lane adjacent to the pond just west of the traffic light at 30^th Place W on 33^rd Avenue W. This would not relieve the bottleneck but would ease traffic flow for commuters turning right or crossing over Alderwood Mall Parkway.

If you cannot make it to the Open House on September 26, residents are asked to email traffic@lynnwoodwa.gov or email David Mach at dmach@lynnwoodwa.gov.

Author: Mario Lotmore