WHAT: Design begins in fall on a project that will transform one of downtown Kirkland’s busiest intersections into a space that alternates between a pedestrian plaza for people while they are walking and a signalized intersection for people while they are driving.
Using traffic signals to hold all automotive traffic at each of the intersection’s four legs, people will be able to walk across the intersection in all directions when the pedestrian phase is active.
The project will also elevate the intersection to make people more visible while they are walking.
WHY: The scramble will enhance what is already a popular walking route between downtown and Marina Park and extend the pedestrian-friendly feel of Park Lane toward the lake.
The City of Kirkland in 2019 earned $1.5 million in state and federal money to create the so-called pedestrian scramble at Lake Street’s intersection with Kirkland Avenue.