Purpose and Need
for Building the Bypass

The SE Bypass fails to resolve the City’s “Traffic Problem.”  The Bypass does not provide a long-term solution to Front St. traffic congestion.

It fails to comply with Issaquah’s Vision and protect its Treasures, including its aquifer and wetlands, treed hillsides, trails, salmon and rural character.

Other Alternatives

The No Build alternative is presented without proposed improvements that would make it workable, such as the school district's new satellite bus barn, a center turn lane on 2^nd Ave at the schools, stormwater treatment & sidewalks on 2^nd Ave SE & E Sunset Way, stoplight at 2^nd & Sunset, a 3^rd I-90 crossing.

Air Quality

There is no discussion of the potential for induced traffic to reduce air quality and no discussion of monitoring air quality as a mitigation to ensure that air quality is not impacted.

Can we remove trucks from this corridor if air quality standards are exceeded?

Current emissions loads on Front Street are in a sparse residential area and at hours primarily unoccupied by pedestrians.  Moving traffic onto the Bypass will transfer those loads to local residential and school areas especially during morning rush hour when students are walking and biking.

Noise

There is no discussion of the potential for noise to bounce from the retaining walls to the downtown area and Squak Mountain neighborhoods.

There is no discussion of monitoring noise to ensure that sound is not increased beyond a fixed allowable amount without mitigation required to reduce the noise to allowable range.

There is no discussion of increased noise levels from additional heavy trucks—including garbage trucks going from transfer stations to the Cedar Hills landfill, which were previously barred from Front Street, using the Bypass.

There is no discussion of impacts to Tiger Mt. High School as its property doesn't directly border the Bypass route, however, its location would receive increased noise.

The No Action alternative should consider ways to reduce noise in the Olde Town neighorhood..

Hydrologic systems

The infiltration pond on Sunset Way would overflow to the East Fork given a 4 year storm, increasing flow volumes during storm events. Flows to the East Fork in general would be reduced.

Volumes of runoff would increase in the creek north of the LDS church, while summer flows would be lower.

The infiltration factilities planned have not been proven to infiltrate.

A future development behind Issaquah H.S., coupled with the effects of this roadway, would change the hydrologic connectivity of the shallow ground water system, small wetlands, and recharge areas for the underlying aquifer.

Floodplains

It is unclear how stormwater will be detained in necessary quantities to prevent increased downstream
flooding in Sycamore and Lewis St. neighborhoods.

The East Fork of Issaquah Creek has been impacted by several projects already.  Potential impacts of the SE Bypass & its infiltration pond will increase risk of flooding downstream.

Several of the detention ponds do not contain even a 50-year capacity storm.

How does the new water from impervious surfaces and the removal of vegetation and top soil impact flooding?

Water Quality

Due to runoff from this roadway, water temperature, sediment loads & chemical contamination will
increase.

Wetlands

This road will partially fill a wetland, place an infiltration pond in the buffer of a wetland & reduce the buffer of our highest grade of wetland to zero.

When two wetlands are hydrologically connected, the higher class buffer width must be used for both wetlands per City Code.  This has not been done. 

Can/should an infiltration pond be sited in a Class I wetland/Category I wetland buffer.

There is little discussion of how the wetland creation and buffer improvements will replace the functions of the impacted areas.

As bonding is not required, what assurances do we have that wetland creation and buffer enhancements will be successful?