Dunn champions funds for improvements to the Issaquah Hobart corridor in “fiscally-prudent” 2019-2020 King County Budget

November 13, 2018

Summary

“The Issaquah-Hobart Road is in dire need of improvements to address the increasing congestion which continues to negatively impact area residents. Though road funding is limited I worked hard to prioritize $500,000 to continue forward with recommended improvements.”

Story

Protecting drivers using the increasingly congested Issaquah-Hobart corridor highlights an adopted 2019-2020 King County Budget that Metropolitan King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn calls fiscally-prudent while meeting the needs of county residents.

“Our region has enjoyed several years of economic growth, but I’m mindful that an eventual economic downturn is inevitable, and by maximizing financial reserves and maintaining a healthy rainy day fund we will be in a better position to provide services in the face of future economic challenges,” said Dunn.

Dunn said the $11.7 billion budget allows King County to maintain a reserve in both the county’s general fund—which supports public safety and the operation of a number of county agencies—as well as the county’s emergency “Rainy Day” reserve. Keeping those reserves is critical to helping the County maintain its AAA bond rating.

“The Issaquah-Hobart Road is in dire need of improvements to address the increasing congestion which continues to negatively impact area residents. Though road funding is limited I worked hard to prioritize $500,000 to continue forward with recommended improvements,” said Dunn.

The funding allows the King County Roads Division to start work on one of the key recommendations from the recently completed Front St/Issaquah-Hobart Road Corridor Study, which focused on the intersection of May Valley Road and Issaquah-Hobart Road.

Improvements at the intersection of May Valley Road and Issaquah-Hobart Road would reduce rear end crashes and improve traffic flow through the intersection in a more reliable manner. It would result in less gridlock and benefit both unincorporated King County and City of Issaquah residents.

This funding will pay for the completion of preliminary design, the selection of a preferred alternative, and final design of the project. The preliminary estimate is that the design will be completed in 2021.