City plans to finish traffic signal coordination in July

Project aims to move vehicles, pedestrians better

By Matthew Nash • June 21, 2023 1:30 am
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Staff with subcontractor G&G Electric install radio and camera equipment at the North Fifth Avenue and Fir Street intersection to help traffic flow there and at seven signals across the City of Sequim. Work is anticipated to be completed by contractor Western Systems in early July, according to City of Sequim staff.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Staff with subcontractor G&G Electric install radio and camera equipment at the North Fifth Avenue and Fir Street intersection to help traffic flow there and at seven signals across the City of Sequim. Work is anticipated to be completed by contractor Western Systems in early July, according to City of Sequim staff.

By early July, traffic and pedestrian flow through the City of Sequim should improve.

Contractor Western Systems is anticipated to complete a City of Sequim project worth up to $482,918.29 — plus a 10 percent construction contingency — to improve communication and timing between seven city street signals.

In city plans in recent years, the project places radios at seven intersections so “they can talk to each other and get traffic hopefully moving,” city project engineer Katie Cole said.

“It’s so that if you’re going through Washington Street and Sequim Avenue and not immediately met with a red light at Third Avenue,” she said.

Video cameras don’t record, but rather pick up on waiting vehicles and pedestrians in order to help clear out turn lanes more, Cole added.

“They won’t have to sit through three or four light signals,” she said. “The whole project is to reduce congestion from 11-2 when it’s really busy.”

Subcontractor G&G Electric is expected to finish installing radios and camera detectors soon along West Washington Street at Sequim Avenue, Third Avenue, Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, and at North Fifth Avenue at West Fir Street and West Hendrickson Road.

A radio will also be installed at Priest Road as its traffic signal was upgraded during the Washington Street overlay project last year.

The signal at QFC is too far away for coordination at this juncture as they require direct line of sight to coordinate unless they had a repeater installed, Cole said.

City staff first looked to upgrade most of the traffic signal infrastructure for Sequim Avenue and Third Avenue on Washington Street but the original lone bid came in significantly over budget in 2021, and a second request for proposals received no bids.

City staff later partnered with Washington’s Department of Enterprise Services to revise the project, which led to the winning bid from Western Systems, according to city documents.

Funding for the contract comes from the city’s Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) and impact fees.