When is the government that is running the town of Auburn going to realize that they have a different town on their hands than they used to have?

Auburn USED to be a “TO” town. It was a destination to those of us who had lived in the community. We came to town to shop at our favorite stores, eat at our favorite restaurants and take care of all our needs.

Auburn is no longer a “to” town – it’s a “THROUGH” town. It is nothing more than a series of slow-moving, overly congested streets ill-equipped to handle the traffic.

On any given day, witness the crush of traffic using Harvey Road and M Street. Those are people on their way “through” town to the Green River Community College hill or to Muckleshoot hill on their way to Enumclaw.

Same thing with the traffic going directly east from Fred Meyer on 8th – on their way FROM the freeway TO the hill communities.

It’s obvious that the same thing exists on Auburn Way, but nowhere is it as clogged as it is on Auburn Avenue/A Street – it’s the worst. Are they going TO Auburn? No, they’re going THROUGH it. They’re on their way to Lakeland Hills.

When traffic leaving SR 18 eastbound onto Auburn way exits, look to see which way they’re going. They’re not going INTO town, they’re just trying to get THROUGH it. Two lanes turning left, and it’s still not enough to handle the traffic getting off the highway. It’s a wonder more people aren’t killed trying to get off SR-18 at that point – and they were just trying to get THROUGH the town in first place.

No, Auburn is not a fun place to visit for ANY reason any more. Everyone is just trying to get though it. Traffic snarls and tempers flare.

I’ve lived in this area all my life, and I’ve witnessed what has happened. As people started families and sought out their first homes, there was nowhere for them to go but outward. The worst was when the Lakeland Hills area exploded.

There isn’t much incentive for people to go into Auburn if they feel like they’re paddling a canoe upstream. When they do get downtown, what will they find? Sure, the hospital area is doing well, but that’s about it. Anyone that has been away from this town for 20 years is in for a shock if they return. They will find empty lots where proud businesses once stood, gridlocked traffic, and no soul. The city of Auburn is gone.

In my opinion, Auburn needs to stop trying to “funnel” traffic through downtown. Commuters are not going to stop and shop when they’re on their way home from work.

I don’t have answers, but a step in the right direction would be to at least put a freeway link from SR-18 to SR-410. I think cities like Atlanta and Dallas have the right idea: They have a large, multiple lane circular freeway around their cities, and it works.

Come on Auburn, stop trying to revitalize – it’s past that. It’s time to RE-ENGINEER.

– Rick Williams