News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:  April 30, 2007

Preferred alternative selected for Novelty Hill Road improvements

King County has selected one of three alternatives for improving Novelty Hill Road and connecting streets east of Redmond to increase capacity and enhance safety. The King County Road Services Division is now moving ahead with preliminary design work for the phased $80 million project.

“We know this is a very important project for people living east of Redmond and even into the Snoqualmie Valley and south Snohomish County,” said Division Director Linda Dougherty. “We have spent a great deal of time evaluating the options, holding public meetings, and working with other transportation agencies to develop a plan that provides both the best immediate traffic solutions and the best flexibility to deal with future growth in that area.”

The preliminary preferred alternative selected by the Roads Division is Alternative 2, which outlines improvements for Novelty Hill Road, 196th Avenue Northeast, and Union Hill Road. Dougherty said that Alternative 2 was chosen because it addresses current needs in the corridor and provides for future expansion of the road network in the rapidly growing area east of Redmond.

Alternative 2 includes:

• Reconstructing and extending196th Avenue Northeast between Union Hill Road and Novelty Hill Road to provide a new north-south connection and relieve congestion at the intersection of Novelty Hill Road and Avondale Way;
• Widening several blocks of Union Hill Road west of 196th Avenue to match up with city of Redmond road improvements; and
• Realigning and widening Novelty Hill Road between 196th Avenue and Trilogy Parkway, including building roundabouts at the intersections with 196th Avenue and 208th Avenue.

“This project must address more than the immediate transportation needs,” said Dougherty. “We must also design it to support residential and business traffic volumes projected to occur over the next 25 years. And, we are working with the state, local cities, plus King County Metro Transit and Sound Transit to complement future transportation and transit improvements in the area.”

During the process to select a preferred alternative, the Roads Division worked with a 22-member Community Advisory Group (CAG), the city of Redmond, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and other King County agencies. Dougherty said the CAG, Redmond, and other local jurisdictions support Alternative 2.

The first phase of the project will be the reconstruction of 196th Avenue Northeast, including a roundabout at the intersection of 196th Avenue and Union Hill Road. Construction is expected to begin in 2009.