The City is considering a plan that could add 60 parking spaces downtown on Alder Street next year.  The plan, developed in response to a continued public outcry for more parking downtown would convert two travel lanes on Alder Street, between Spokane Street and Fifth Avenue, to angled parking similar to Main Street.  The conversion would coincide with the replacement of two antiquated traffic signals on Alder Street at First Avenue and at Colville Street planned for construction in 2014.

A traffic analysis recently completed for the project looked at three alternatives. Click on the image above to view the traffic analysis report (71 pages) and/or click on Post at the bottom of the page to share your opinion and prioritize the three alternatives to a reconfiguration of Alder Street to add additional parking downtown.

Alternative 1 consists of a travel lane in each direction with a two-way center turn lane in the middle with angled parking on one side of the street and parallel parking on the other.  This option provides a high level of service for traffic at the intersections, but would only add 47 spaces.

Alternative 2 consists of two travel lanes (one in each direction), with angled parking on both sides of the street.  This two-lane option provides the greatest increase in on-street parking, adding as many as 80 additional spaces, but was projected to result in traffic back-ups at the intersection of Second Avenue similar to what occurs at Second and Main.  Based on traffic projections in the future, the back-up at Second Avenue would impact downstream traffic on Alder.

Alternative 3 is a hybrid of alternatives one and two, adding as much parking as possible and still providing a high level of service at the intersections.  This is the alternative recommended in the traffic analysis.  It consists of angled on-street parking on Alder between Spokane Street and Fifth Avenue for all but one block on each side of Second Avenue.  Under this alternative, a left turn lane would be included on Alder for the blocks immediately east and west of Second Avenue to provide for left turn movements and will add as many as 60 additional spaces.

Traffic volumes on Main Street one block to the north are nearly the same as this section of Alder and traffic would be expected to operate in a very similar manner.  

Formal action by City Council regarding the proposed parking changes on Alder will be considered at the December 18 regular council meeting. Please click on the image above to view the traffic analysis report (71 pages) and/or click on Post at the bottom of the page to share your opinion and prioritize the three alternatives to a reconfiguration of Alder Street to add additional parking downtown.