Traffic & Transportation

Smarter Traffic, Safer Streets, Stronger Connections

There are a few things that just about every Duvall resident can agree on: we love the character of our city, we value community, and—we all feel the pain of traffic.

Whether it’s the daily bottleneck through Main Street, the backups heading east or west on Novelty Hill Road, or the lack of safe sidewalks and bike paths for our kids, transportation is a daily reality that shapes how we live, work, and move.

But traffic and transportation aren’t just about congestion—they’re about connection. They determine how easily we can support our local businesses, how safe our kids are walking to school, and how connected we feel to the region and to each other.

If we want Duvall to grow sustainably and stay livable, we have to tackle transportation with strategy, compassion, and long-term thinking. That means investing in the roads and paths we need—not just today, but for the next generation.

Main Street Congestion: Relief Without Sacrificing Charm

At the heart of Duvall is Main Street (SR-203). It’s not just a road—it’s the spine of our city. It connects Old Town, frames our festivals, and supports many of our small businesses. But it’s also one of the biggest chokepoints in the entire Snoqualmie Valley.

Each morning and evening, the narrow, two-lane stretch through downtown becomes a slow crawl of commuters trying to get in or out of town. Any minor disruption—a crosswalk backup, a stalled car, or a delivery truck—can bring traffic to a near standstill. And with growth continuing both in Duvall and in neighboring communities like Carnation and Monroe, that problem is only getting worse.

Still, the answer isn’t as simple as widening the road or speeding up traffic. We don’t want to create a bypass that pulls people away from our businesses or cuts Old Town off from its community feel. Instead, we need to manage flow in a way that preserves access and enhances livability.

Here’s what I support:

  • Collaborating with WSDOT on strategic upgrades to SR-203 that improve flow without turning it into a high-speed highway

  • Smart signal timing and traffic calming that eases backups but still allows for safe pedestrian crossing

  • Adding parking and pedestrian access on side streets to reduce direct pressure on Main Street

  • Improving visibility and signage to help visitors find parking and local businesses

We want people to come through Main Street, not fly past it. And we want them to feel like they can stop, explore, and support what makes Duvall special.

Safe Streets for Students: Sidewalks, Crosswalks, and Bike Lanes

One of my non-negotiables when it comes to transportation is safety—especially for kids. As a community that values family and walkability, we need to ensure that every child can get to and from school without navigating dangerous streets or shoulderless roads.

Right now, gaps in the sidewalk network and a lack of protected bike lanes make that difficult in many neighborhoods. Kids walking to Cherry Valley Elementary or Cedarcrest High School often have to navigate unlit paths or cross busy intersections without protection.

This is more than an infrastructure issue. It’s about trust—trust that our public spaces are safe for the most vulnerable among us.

That’s why I support:

  • Completing missing sidewalk connections, especially near schools, parks, and along high-traffic routes like NE Cherry Valley Road and 3rd Avenue NE

  • Expanding bike lane access, especially protected or buffered lanes, so that cyclists of all ages feel safe

  • Improving school crosswalks and signage, possibly with crossing guards or flashing beacons

  • Partnering with Riverview School District to align transportation improvements with student safety priorities

  • Securing grants and leveraging developer impact fees to fund these projects without putting undue pressure on the general fund

Sidewalks and bike lanes aren’t “extras”—they’re core infrastructure. They connect neighborhoods, reduce vehicle traffic, and support active lifestyles. Most importantly, they make our kids safer, and that’s something we can all get behind.

A Regional Challenge: Working with King County on Novelty Hill Road

Many of Duvall’s transportation issues don’t begin—or end—at our borders. One of the biggest frustrations for commuters heading west to Redmond, Bellevue, or Seattle is the congestion on Novelty Hill Road.

This stretch of road has become a regional bottleneck, with traffic sometimes backing up for miles during peak hours. While Duvall doesn’t control this corridor directly, it impacts our residents daily. And that means we need to be at the table, advocating for solutions.

I want to work with King County, Redmond, and WSDOT to develop a regional transportation plan that includes:

  • Capacity improvements on Novelty Hill Road, particularly in bottleneck zones

  • Traffic signal synchronization and queue management during peak hours

  • Expanded transit options, like increased frequency of Metro service to Redmond and Seattle

  • New park-and-ride facilities that give commuters alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles

  • Traffic demand studies to evaluate long-term population and flow projections

This is about thinking big, working regionally, and ensuring that Duvall isn’t left behind in the transportation planning conversation.

Smart Investments with Long-Term Payoff

Like everything in city planning, transportation is about choices. And those choices should be guided by a simple principle: ROI for the community.

When we invest in transportation, we’re not just building roads—we’re building access. We’re reducing commute times, expanding business opportunities, and giving our kids the freedom to walk to school or ride their bikes to the library.

Duvall’s 2024 financials show we’ve been smart with our money: we’ve ended the year with a $40M reserve across all funds, completed major projects under budget, and kept utility and capital project funds well-stocked. That gives us the financial foundation to act now—before problems become crises.

But we also need to look to the future. That’s why I support:

  • Integrating transportation into our broader capital improvement planning

  • Tying new development to traffic mitigation, with clear expectations for sidewalks, trails, and intersection upgrades

  • Securing federal and state grants, especially for school safety and multimodal transit

  • Engaging the community, because no one knows our roads better than the people who drive, walk, and bike them every day

A Transportation System that Reflects Who We Are

At its core, transportation is about people—not just vehicles.

We want to be a city where you can drive without stress, walk without fear, bike with confidence, and hop on transit without wondering if you’ll make it on time. We want our businesses to be visible and accessible, not hidden behind traffic or bypassed by commuters. We want our kids to feel safe and free, not tethered to a car seat for every trip.

Duvall has always been a connected community. It’s time our transportation system caught up to that spirit.