Kirkland Re-opens Vital Downtown Intersection

Published on June 14, 2024

Media Contact:
David Wolbrecht
Communications Program Manager
dwolbrecht@kirklandwa.gov
(425) 587-3021

After more than two months of closure, the City of Kirkland re-opened Lake Street and Kirkland Avenue intersection to automotive traffic on June 12.

“For commuters, community members and especially our downtown merchants, it’s been a long and challenging closure,” said Councilmember John Tymczyszyn. “Now that the closure is over, the focus of the project will shift on completing the transformation of the intersection at the center of our vibrant and beloved downtown.”

The intersection’s closure to vehicular traffic allowed the contractor to replace the intersection’s failed stormwater system, its deteriorated asphalt surface, and the concrete base beneath it with a new stormwater system and concrete surface.

For now, the Lake Street and Kirkland Avenue will operate as a standard intersection with pedestrian crossings restricted to north-to-south and east-to-west movements. When complete in the fall, however, the intersection will be the site of Kirkland’s first pedestrian scramble, which people will be able to cross in any direction they choose—while the pedestrian phase is active. The sidewalk areas will be level with the street surface, creating a plaza-like feel. The contractor will also replace the traffic signals, add pedestrian lighting and landscaping.