State Department of Commerce grant will fund study of new crossing of Bothell Way

LFP City Hall
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

By Tracy Furutani 

The Lake Forest Park City Council approved unanimously the acceptance of funds for the preliminary design of a new crossing of State Route 522 (Bothell Way) near the Lake Forest Park Town Center at the regular council meeting Thursday night.

The $490,000 grant, administered by the state Department of Commerce, would pay for a study to determine different options for a grade-separated crossing, meaning an underpass or an overpass, according to Donnelle Dayao, the city project manager.

The goal of the overall project, she said, was to find “a quicker and safer method of crossing SR 522.” Council member and new council vice-chair Tom French said that the two current crossings, at Ballinger Way NE and at Beach Dr. NE, record a thousand crossings on a summer day.

“This is the first step of the first step,” said council member John Resha, who noted that this part of the project would be followed by the city applying for grants for the building phase once the final design of the project was determined.

New council member Lorri Bodi hoped that the council and Lake Forest Park residents would be kept apprised of progress on the designs, even as this study was being carried out.

City administrator Phillip Hill said the timeline for this preliminary design phase would be approximately six months, and result in a final report by a consulting firm outlining different options for the crossing, along with maintenance issues and construction costs. 

"It’s about feasibility [of the project] as much as anything else,” said council member and new deputy mayor Phillippa Kassover.