The Metropolitan King County Council has authorized $300,000 to be spent on improving safety on Issaquah-Hobart Road.

The allocation provides $50,000 for studying traffic and safety issues and $250,000 for initial road improvements. The work could be small projects such as signal synchronization or intersection changes aimed at improving traffic flow, officials said.

The study will cover potential short-term and long-range solutions for better traffic and safety on the heavily used north-south commuter route.

Councilman Reagan Dunn said the road, which is in his district, “continues to get more congested, which is affecting our quality of life and the safety of our community.”

Under the action taken by the council Monday, money for the overall project is available this year to the county road services division. Dunn said he plans to meet “soon” with road officials to develop a study that should include the public’s input. “Hopefully, we can have meaningful information by the end of the year,” he said.

Cities and areas in Dunn’s District 9 include Black Diamond, Covington, Maple Valley, Enumclaw and Kent.