The Seattle Department of Transportation today activated the new traffic signal at the intersection of Fremont Avenue North and North 105th Street. The signal was installed because the intersection is on the Interurban Bike Route.
The improved four-lane arterial crossing, which also helps pedestrians move across a busy roadway, completes signal upgrades for the bike route identified in the Bicycle Master Plan (BMP) and ends the need to detour to a signal two blocks west.
Here’s what the intersection looked like when SDOT was just starting the signal work in July.
The new traffic signal is a significant enhancement to the Interurban North signed bicycle route that connects downtown Seattle to Everett via Fremont Ave N before transitioning to the Interurban Trail. Similar signals already exist along the route at N 80th and N 85th streets. Bicyclists and pedestrians will be permitted to continue straight along the route, while motorists on Fremont Ave N will be directed to turn right or left from the signal, restricting the straight through movement.
Other than the section of trail between N 110th and N 128th streets, the Interurban Trail in Seattle utilizes residential streets. It is identified in the BMP as a designated bicycle boulevard, a route that prioritizes bicycle travel by using a variety of design elements such as improved intersection crossings.
