By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch A rural intersection in the Kapowsin area is one of the first in Washington where a new use of traffic lights is being tried. Starting Dec. 5, drivers began noticing a flashing yellow arrow at the intersection of Orting-Kapowsin Highway and 224th Street East. The added signal allows them to turn left without stopping if there is enough space in traffic. The hoped-for result, according to Pierce County road officials, is to keep traffic moving by allowing motorists to continue left-hand turns while the yellow arrow is flashing. Thousands of vehicles pass through the intersection daily, officials said. "While we have been trying out flashing yellow arrows at various locations over the past year,GÇ¥ the signal at Orting-Kapowsin and 224th "is different in that the flashing yellow arrow and solid yellow arrow share the middle sectionGÇ¥ of the light, said Rory Grindley, a traffic engineer for the county. "The new configuration was recently permitted for use on a trial basis by the Federal Highway Administration, and Pierce County is one of the first in the state (with) formal permission to install it.GÇ¥ The county also is trying the new flashing yellow arrows at three intersections in the South Hill-Puyallup area, including 184th Street East and Gem Heights Drive East. Typically, flashing yellow arrow are located between the solid yellow light and the green light in a four-light traffic signal. The reworked traffic signal at Orting-Kapowsin and 224th is the latest in what officials describe as minor safety improvements of the intersection. The others include the addition lane striping to create an eastbound left-turn pocket. Traffic counts by the county this year show the intersection as well-traveled in all four directions. Approximately 9,000 vehicles travel east or west on 224th, and about 8,600 head south or north on Orting-Kapowsin, officials said. The numbers are a daily average.
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