There are about 30 barricades currently blocking streets around Sammamish.

Some of these date back to the days before incorporation, and are the work of King County planners, or projects initiated by the county. Some were installed by the City of Sammamish.

But all of them pose a question as to what the city should do with its blocked roads that could be an obstacle to the improved connectivity of traffic on the Plateau.

On Tuesday, July 28, the city will be conducting a bus tour of a number of these barricades, and the public is invited to take part.

City of Sammamish public works staff, as well as consultant Dan Burden, will take the tour to get a better understanding of the issues posed by a handful of barricades around the city.

According to Public Works Director John Cunningham, the tour is part of 12- to 18-month long evaluation process, the goal of which is to provide some certainty to residents about what will be happening on their street in the future.

“We want to look at each one individually and make a determination whether that’s a connection we want to have open at some point,” he said. “If we think that it is, then what sort of improvements will we have to make to that street, such as traffic calming devices, or new sidewalks. The idea is to give an assurance to residents one way or the other. And if it is going to be opened up, what is the timeframe?”

Cunningham also said that the city may make the decision that the street isn’t a necessary element of improving connectivity.

“If we decide that we don’t need to open up a street that is currently blocked, then we will look at ways of making the blockade more permanent, rather than just having a barricade across the street.”

Cunningham said that often a barricade was put across a street during or following a new development, at which point it was recognized that the street would become a necessary throughway at some point, but that improvements to the roadway would be needed.

The tour is also an opportunity for the public to ride around and hear the comments of our town planners. The public is also invited to meet the tour as it stops at a number of sites around the city.

More information, including a map of the tour, can be found at www.ci.sammamish.wa.us/News

Opening up residential streets to traffic has been a point of contention in the past. This is being seen in the case of 248th Avenue Southeast.

The city recently acquired the private easement on a section of 248th to allow the connection of Southeast 24th and Southeast 14th streets, despite the concerns of residents that the road would encourage speeding and reckless driving.