Council briefed on transportation study

Bellevue transportation planners briefed the Bellevue City Council Monday on efforts to update an agreement between Bellevue and Redmond concerning joint transportation projects and land-use coordination in a heavily traveled area that borders the two cities.

The Bel-Red Overlake Transportation Study, commonly referred to as BROTS, is an agreement the two cities signed in 1999 that is scheduled to run through 2012. It covers an area on either side of State Route 520, including the Bellevue-Redmond Road corridor and the Overlake area.

Both cities foresee significant changes in their respective portions of the BROTS area. A new agreement is intended to update transportation and land use plans through 2030. Plans call for adopting the revised document by the end of 2008.

New projects in the updated agreement will be focused in the East Bellevue area, which was not included in the 1999 BROTS. Bellevue Transportation Department staff are proposing several projects that could reduce impacts in East Bellevue, including development of a bus rapid transit route, minimizing one-driver trips to job sites, improved bicycle and walking routes, traffic signal changes and increased traffic calming measures.

To learn what types of mitigation are of interest to East Bellevue residents, city staff will use several methods, starting with a May 15 open house, called Spring Forward Expo – Projects Affecting Your Future. It takes place from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, located 450 110th Ave. N.E.

Other outreach will involve ads and public service announcements, a survey by mail, a Web site where people provide feedback, contact with groups and neighborhood associations, and communication with the City’s Transportation Commission.

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