Existing Lane Configuration and Traffic Patterns

Commercial Avenue and 12th Street is a major intersection for motor vehicles travelling into and out of downtown Anacortes as well as to and from the Washington State Ferry Terminal. The existing intersection has traffic signals on all four legs of the intersection. Commercial Avenue has five lanes of traffic in each direction, each with two through lanes and a center turn lane. 12th Street west of Commercial Avenue has three lanes of traffic, one lane westbound towards the Washington State Ferry Terminal and two lanes eastbound. 12th Street east of Commercial Avenue is a driveway for a Safeway grocery store. Aside from this driveway, the posted speed limit for Commercial Avenue and 12th Street is 30 mph through this intersection.

The most common motor vehicle turning movements at the intersection are people headed towards and away from the Washington State Ferry terminal. More specifically, this includes people making a left turn from Commercial Avenue onto 12th Street and people turning right from 12th Street onto Commercial Avenue. Another major traffic movement is through the intersection along Commercial Avenue into and out of downtown Anacortes.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Conditions

The current conditions at the intersection are limiting for bicycle and pedestrian travel. For pedestrians, striped crosswalks and pedestrian signals only exist on three legs of the intersection. The southern leg of the intersection across Commercial Avenue does not allow for pedestrians to cross. The crosswalk on the eastern leg of the intersection across the Safeway driveway has also been worn down and is barely visible. Additionally, the sidewalks are relatively narrow, most of the curb ramps are in poor condition and do not line up with the crosswalks, and the crossing distances are very long. Lastly, no bicycle facilities exist approaching or through the intersection.

Opportunities and Challenges with Current Design

The current intersection conditions present a number of challenges and opportunities. The existing conditions for pedestrians mentioned above make it difficult for people to safely and comfortably cross the street, particularly for the most vulnerable road users such as children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. People on bicycles have no option but to share the road with motor vehicles, which is particularly dangerous on these arterial roadways with high traffic volumes and speeds.

For people walking and biking, the existing intersection design is particularly dangerous when motor vehicles turn left from Commercial Avenue onto 12th Street. Left turns, according to a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, account for nearly one third of all pedestrian-involved crashes in the United States. This left turn from Commercial Avenue onto 12th Street is the most common motor vehicle movement through the intersection. Motor vehicles making this turn during peak traffic periods typically queue up all the way south into the 13th Street intersection. Eager drivers striving to make the light at this left turn combined with long pedestrian crossing distances create potentially dangerous situations for pedestrians.

In terms of traffic flow, Level of Service is anticipated to get worse at the northbound left turn going from Commercial Avenue onto 12th Street. Under the current conditions, freight traffic also has limited space to make the eastbound right turn from 12th Street onto Commercial Avenue and the northbound left turn from Commercial Avenue onto 12th Street.

The potential benefits of keeping the existing intersection design include lower costs, no right-of-way acquisition required, and maintaining consistent expectations for traffic patterns including the same overall traffic flow.