Under its project to improve King County Metro's Route 44, the Seattle Department of Transportation is proposing a complete overhaul of the intersection at Northwest Market Street and 24th Avenue Northwest, including car-sensing signals, two less traffic lanes and the loss of five parking spaces.

In April, the Department of Transportation proposed adding right-turn and transit-only lanes on east and westbound Market Street at 24th Avenue to go along with other infrastructure improvements meant to increase reliability and efficiency on the Route 44 between Ballard and the University District.

The original plan was to have a demonstration period for the new configuration this past summer, but the proposal was met with opposition from the Ballard District Council and some Ballard residents, who worried it would have an adverse impact on freight and force traffic onto neighboring streets.

The right-turn and transit-only lanes and the demonstration period were scrapped in favor of a complete redesign of the intersection unveiled at a Sept. 16 Department of Transportation open house.

The current alignment of the intersection features:

• Westbound: left-turn/straight center lane and right-turn/straight curb lane.
• Northbound: left-turn center lane and right-turn/straight curb lane.
• Eastbound: left-turn/straight center lane and right-turn/straight curb lane.
• Southbound: left-turn center lane, left-turn/straight middle lane and right-turn/straight curb lane.

The proposed realignment of the intersection features:

• Westbound: left-turn center lane, straight middle lane and right-turn/straight curb lane.
• Northbound: left-turn center lane and right-turn/straight curb lane (no change).
• Eastbound: left-turn center lane, straight middle lane and right-turn curb lane.
• Southbound: left-turn center lane and right-turn/straight curb lane.

Click the image above or use the link at the beginning of this article to compare the current and proposed intersection alignments.

In addition to lane realignment, the overhaul of the intersection includes removing the old-fashioned timer signal in favor of a more modern car-sensing signal.

The Department of Transportation would also be removing four parking spaces from the north side of Market Street west of 24th Avenue and one parking space on the south side of Market Street west of 24th Avenue. In addition, eight parking spaces on the south side of Market Street west of 24th would be restricted to no parking between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. on weekdays.

Bill Bryant, Department of Transportation spokesperson, said the new signals and alignment should speed the intersection up for everyone.

Bryant said the original right-turn and transit-only proposal from April didn't work as well as this new proposal, but the department will continue to work with the Ballard District Council to satisfy their concerns.

According to the Department of Transportation, the intersection improvements will reduce pedestrian delays, create bike lane continuity north on 24th Avenue, create wider curb lanes for bicycles and increase intersection lane widths for freight.

There will be no demonstration period for the new intersection proposal because the cost of installing new signals will not allow for it, Bryant said.

If the Department of Transportation can get the funding it needs, it can complete the entire Route 44 improvements, including the Market Street and 24th Avenue overhaul, by 2012, Bryant said. If it does not get the funding, it can start the project but won't be able to finish it until 2014, he said.

Other Ballard components of the project include eastbound and westbound bus bulbs, which extend the sidewalks and allow buses to pick up and drop off passengers while remaining in the traffic lane, at Market Street and 11th Avenue Northwest and Market Street and 28th Avenue Northwest.

Lower-ridership bus stops at Market Street and 25th Avenue Northwest, Market Street and 16th Avenue Northwest, Market Street and 14th Avenue Northwest and Market Street and Sixth Avenue Northwest will be proposed for closure to help speed up buses.

In addition, “transit signal priority,” which makes green lights stay green longer or red lights change faster for buses, will be added to Market Street and 17th Avenue Northwest, Market Street and 24th Avenue and Market Street and Northwest 54th Street.

According to the Department of Transportation, these changes will create up to a six-minute improvement in trip time for the Route 44. But, Bryant said that is a conservative estimate and they hope to do better, as long as the department can get the funding to complete all components of the project.

"You have to do the whole thing," he said. "You can't just take little pieces out of it or the whole thing falls apart."

Click here to view the website for the Route 44 improvement project.