Seattle gets $1.7 million to upgrade traffic signals

Icicles hang from a crosswalk sign on 12th Ave. and Marion St. in Seattle on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. Thursday's ice storm caused at least 200,000 homes in the Seattle area to lose power by midday. Icicles hang from a crosswalk sign on 12th Ave. and Marion St. in Seattle on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. Thursday's ice storm caused at least 200,000 homes in the Seattle area to lose power by midday. Photo: LINDSEY WASSON Photo: LINDSEY WASSON Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Seattle gets $1.7 million to upgrade traffic signals 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Seattle was awarded a $1.7 million grant to make intersections safer for drivers and pedestrians around the city.

Once the City Council finalizes agreements with the state, the money will be spread between projects in downtown, the North 50th Street corridor, and major arterials, including Aurora Avenue North, Lake City Way Northeast, 35th Avenue Southwest and Holman Road North/Northwest, the Seattle Department of Transportation reports.

Forty Washington cities were awarded $50 million in grants this month by the state Department of Transportation through its City Safety Program to reduce fatal and serious-injury collisions. The grant money comes from the federal government's highway safety program.

A list of cities and projects is available here.

Downtown intersections will get $636,576 worth of traffic signal improvements at intersections with high rates of right-angle collisions. Crews will adjust signal heads -- changing them from a pole-mounted signal to a signal from a mast arm -- to increase visibility, SDOT reports.

Curb ramps also will be enhanced at some locations.

Most of the downtown projects parallel Interstate 5 and its off-ramps. They include Fifth Avenue from Union to Seneca Streets; Sixth Avenue from University to Spring Streets; Second Avenue and Spring Street; Third Avenue and Spring Street; and Fourth Avenue and Union Street.

The Northeast 50th Street corridor will get $572,832 for a new signal at Northeast 50th and 12th Avenue Northeast. New pedestrian countdown signals will be installed along 50th Street from Wallingford Avenue North to 15th Avenue Northeast.

SDOT also will install signal heads with larger lenses to improve visibility and reflective back plates at Wallingford, Meridian and Sunnyside Avenues North.

The grant also will pay for upgrading signals and crosswalk markings along the major corridors of Aurora Avenue North, Lake City Way Northeast, 35th Avenue Southwest and Holman Road North/Northwest.

The work will include installing pedestrian countdown signals at intersections and replacing signals with eight-inch lenses to new signal heads with 12-inch lenses. In addition, older-style crosswalks with two parallel lines will be replaced with more visible ladder-style crosswalk markings.

"The improvements requiring minimal design work are tentatively scheduled for 2013," SDOT spokesman Rick Sheridan said in an email. "However, the new signal at Northeast 50th and 12th, and any signal pole installations done in downtown will require design work by the department. So these would tentatively be completed in 2014."

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