Hayden council hears design update for Honeysuckle Avenue–Government Way intersection

At its July 14 meeting, the Hayden City Council received a design update on the Honeysuckle Avenue and Government Way intersection that staff said would reduce long, rolling queues projected under 2046 traffic forecasts. Dulce, a city staff member delivering the update, said the Welch Kilmer traffic model shows the proposed project would eliminate a persistent rolling queue condition and reduce peak queue lengths by roughly 300 feet in the worst‑case 2046 scenario.

The project scope discussed includes removing a landscape island, constructing a southbound right‑turn lane, extending the southbound left‑turn lane and upgrading pedestrian ramps to meet current accessibility standards. Dulce said the design prioritizes southbound movements because the corridor study identified those as the limiting operations over a 20‑year planning horizon.

Several council members asked for clarification about the charts presented. Council member Schaeffer pressed whether the blue and orange lines were vehicle counts or queue lengths; staff replied the simplified graphics show queue length estimates and total intersection peak volumes were used to pick the analysis hour. Council members also asked whether the project would require property acquisitions. Staff said right‑of‑way acquisition is likely and will be defined during the appraisal process and return to council for further action.

Mayor and council members asked staff to return with more precise right‑of‑way limits, appraisal results and how any acquisitions would affect adjacent business parking. Staff said the project remains in design and that more specific impacts will be available as appraisal and design progress.