By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Aurora Avenue is under the microscope right now, but what you see depends on who you are. Transportation planners view the section of Aurora, which extends from the Battery Street Tunnel to N 145th Street, as a critical thoroughfare that has been plagued by chronic traffic congestion. They would like to find ways to improve the flow of traffic as well as to make it less prone to accidents.

Members of the Aurora Avenue Merchants Association, on the other hand, view the highway as their place of business. The association has been working to promote Aurora as a place for people to stop and shop.

Currently, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is conducting a study, with help from transportation officials with the county and cities of Seattle and Shoreline, to evaluate possible ways to improve traffic flow along Aurora.

"We have a number of safety issues (on Aurora)," said Nytasha Sowers, corridor project manager for WSDOT. She explained that there have been a high number of accidents along the highway, before adding that Aurora also experienced "significant levels of traffic congestion."

While the WSDOT-led study isn't scheduled to be completed until the end of next year, there are already signs that some major changes could be in store for Aurora, including the possibility of eliminating parking on the street in order to provide dedicated bus lanes. At the present time, limited street parking is allowed on some sections of the highway.

While removing parking would undoubtedly speed bus-riders to the their destinations faster, it would destroy much-needed customer parking that local businesses rely on. Obviously, the prospect makes merchants nervous.

"Restricting parking during the day would be very detrimental to small businesses," said Faye Garneau, executive director of the Aurora Avenue Merchants Association. She added that if individual drivers find it harder to navigate Aurora because certain lanes are restricted to buses only, traffic will inevitably be pushed into the neighborhoods.

Sowers confirmed that removing street parking along Aurora could be an option, but added: "We haven't made any decisions yet."

And it isn't just the WSDOT-led study that has been eying Aurora. King County Metro has issued a six-year transit development plan that identifies Aurora as possible bus rapid transit corridor. According to the report, changes to Aurora if it is selected could include "transit signal priority, separated transit and/or HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes or removal of parking."

Matt Shelden, a senior transit planner with King County Metro, said that decision will likely be made near the end of this year.

The City of Shoreline, whose proposals for its own portion of Aurora (including 12-foot-wide sidewalks and raised medians to restrict left turns) proved unpopular with local businesses, is also weighing in on the WSDOT-led North Seattle study.

Sowers said that Shoreline is participating in the North Seattle study to ensure a smooth transition between the design of Shoreline's portion of Aurora and any changes that would be made to the highway within North Seattle.

Anne Tonella-Howe, Aurora corridor project manager with the City of Shoreline, said Shoreline is particularly interested in improving the flow of bus traffic along Aurora. "I think ultimately we'd like to see in the whole corridor the full seven lanes with transit lanes (on each side) on the outside and two general purpose lanes in the middle," said Tonella-Howe, who acknowledged that Shoreline may have some different issues than Seattle does regarding the highway.

One thing is clear from looking at Aurora in its present state: it would be close to impossible to add lanes that would provide more capacity for buses, cars or anything else. Acquiring property along the built-up roadway would be a major challenge.

"We're talking about a considerable amount of money and the impact of removing buildings," Sowers said of any possible efforts along those lines.

Just in case it does come down to battle, the Aurora Avenue Merchants Association has made its position clear ahead of time: In a position paper issued in November, the association stated that it believes only minor improvements to Aurora are needed.

The association opposes removal of street parking or the addition of bicycle lanes, dedicated bus lanes, lights or pedestrian crossings.

Any attempts to make changes to Aurora that are unfavorable to business would likely face a formidable foe in the merchant's association. The group points out that businesses along Aurora from N 65th Street to N 145th Street generate more tax revenue than Seattle's downtown core.