WSDOT Offers Ambitious Multimodal Vision for Dangerous SR 99 Corridor

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) issued a proposed design for State Route 99 through Lynnwood and parts of unincorporated Snohomish County that would include dedicated bike and transit lanes. 

As Ryan Packer explains in The Urbanist, the 6.6-mile stretch of the highway, which has seven lanes in some areas, saw 63 crashes resulting in deaths or serious injuries between 2019 and 2023. “During that time, more than 60 people who were walking or biking were hit by drivers, including eight people who lost their lives.”

The proposed upgrades would provide “full bicycle and pedestrian connectivity” with separated bike lanes, sidewalks, and bus lanes. “WSDOT is also recommending a slate of spot improvements at different points along the corridor that would make the highway function more like a local street, including 12 midblock crossings ‘either near bus stops, major destinations or where there is a large distance between intersections.’”