King County can be complemented for the completion of the Novelty Hill Road project, BUT the City of Redmond has to be held responsible for allowing a 2/10th mile two-lane bottleneck from the western end of the new four-lane Evans Creek Bridge to the existing four lanes at the eastern city limits to exist.

As reported by Samantha Pak in the Redmond Reporter dated March 18, 2011, the justification for this construction project was to “divert some of the traffic traveling on the congested Avondale Road” (which is in the City of Redmond). According to Eric Dawson, the city’s project manager in the construction division, he expects to have the construction plans to replace this two-lane section with four lanes around the end of 2013. At which time he will solicit bids in early 2014 and begin construction in early spring 2014. Construction should be finished by the end of 2014.

THE END OF 2014? For a project — 2/10th of a mile, seven power poles — the City of Redmond knew was needed back in 2011. With all the construction, lane closures, power pole relocation going on, no one from the City of Redmond’s Public Works Department or the Construction Engineering Department noticed this construction? And is just now developing the construction plans?

Now that the Novelty Hill roundabout is completed and more traffic will be “diverted” along 196th Street through the Union Hill roundabout and bottlenecked for 2/10th of a mile, those drivers should tell Eric Dawson at ecdawson@redmond.gov of their frustration, as I have.

Robert Wainger, Redmond