Another road will be re-striped to improve pedestrian safety. This time it’s Greenwood Avenue between 85th St and 105th St, which will be reduced from 4 lanes to 3, including a center turn lane.
View Greenwood Avenue road diet in a larger map
Unlike other road diets, this one was requested by the neighborhood and has not received many complaints. The project is planned to be completed this year and will help make things safer for pedestrians by reducing the number of lanes of traffic to cross.
SDOT’s newsletter, The Walk Bike Rider, reports on a new sidewalk on Aurora at 115th, near the cemeteries. This sidewalk makes it easier to access the 358 bus stop in the area.
Maple Leaf Life reports on some big changes to Ravenna Ave (hat tip to reader Nick):
A big announcement last night is setting up about $1 million worth of changes on Ravenna Ave between NE 85th and Lake City Way. That area is one of the projects selected to be paid for with the Large Neighborhood Street Fund. Many neighbors have complained about the lack of a sidewalk. This project will widen the roadway on the west side of the street to allow for a bike lane as well as a curb, planting strip and sidewalk. You can read more here.
View Ravenna Ave sidewalk construction in a larger map
This section of Ravenna Ave currently has no sidewalks and there had been some sidewalk construction in the area that was forcing pedestrians into the roadway. It sounds like there are quite a few problems with that stretch of roadway:
This is the only section of the major Montlake/25th Ave NE/Ravenna Ave NE north/south arterial that does not have a sidewalk. This affects the area socio-economically, cutting it off from safe access to the many public facilities available just south of 85th. There is no safe access to the 8 bus stops located on this stretch of road. Disabled access is completely unavailable. The nearby elementary schools cannot be accessed by foot and it is a bussing nightmare for the school transportation dispatch due to the high traffic and lack of safe pick-up/drop-offs for elementary aged children. At 83rd on this arterial is Dahl Field, Beth Ann Temple, University Prep, Wedgewood Pool and assess to Wedgwood Elementary school. Walking down to 85th where the sidewalk begins is simply unsafe. Because of the geographic area, this sidewalk will involve innovative drainage solutions. A plan is our major step towards linking this section of the community back in with others.
SDOT maintains more than roads and sidewalks, but also the many public stairways in the city.
Most of Seattle’s stairways were built between 1920 and 1950, at the time the city’s street system was being completed. Where grades were too steep for a street, stairways were built. Now 70 to 80 years old, many need repairs and upgrades to meet today’s safety standards. Bridging the Gap funds enable safety improvements (such as proper step height, tread width, rail height, and distance between landings) in addition to repairs.
There are five stairways being rehabilitated this year by SDOT, as shown below:
View Stairway improvements in a larger map
Maple Leaf Life reports that pedestrians can continue along 97th Street between 19th and 20th Aves along a new stairway.
Capitol Hill Seattle reports on a new crosswalk near the light rail station under construction.
Here is a release on the crosswalk from Sound Transit, who is managing the construction of this light rail station:
Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has installed the crosswalk at 10th Avenue E. and E. John Street on Capitol Hill. This crosswalk will help pedestrian traffic cross the busy intersection at 10th Avenue E. and E. John Street. A portion of Denny Way has been closed until 2016 to accommodate the construction of the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station.
The Bridging the Gap levy approved by voters in 2006 has led to quite a few pedestrian improvements – 54 blocks of new sidewalk, in fact. Check out a few photos from SDOT of recent sidewalk construction that has helped make it easier and safer to get around on foot in Seattle.
SDOT is adding sidewalks or otherwise encouraging kids to walk to school at 5 elementary schools this summer. The schools include:
The Safe Routes to School program is funded by the Bridging the Gap transportation initiative. The program works closely with school staff, students and parents to identify barriers and solutions to make walking and biking safer and more accessible.
Over the past three years, the Safe Routes to School Program has made improvements at 14 schools across the city. … Over the life of the nine-year levy, SDOT anticipates making improvements at 30 schools across the city as part of the program.
SDOT is transforming a one-block-long section of Terry Avenue in the Denny Triangle into a green street.
SDOT will narrow the roadway and remove 35 on-street parking spaces, replacing them with landscaping (including 13 trees) and wider sidewalks. Three granite slab benches will be added. The total cost is approximately $500,000, funded primarily by a Federal Transit Administration grant with additional money from local grants.
The street has not been very heavily used by pedestrians or by vehicle traffic. It’s not a particularly enjoyable street to walk along, though this project won’t do anything about the poor streetscape created by the buildings on this block. Still, it’s nice to see another street made more pleasant for walking on.
SDOT is testing a different method for repairing sidewalks in a sample area in Capitol Hill. Capitol Hill Seattle interviews SDOT for details on this process:
The work on Broadway near Roy is a trial effort for repairing sidewalks. Instead of using asphalt to fill gaps, this approach sawcuts lifted areas of concrete using a patented process. The approach could allow us to create walkway fixes that looks great and meet ADA standards for walkways.
We are testing it as a technique for sidewalk repair on three blocks on Broadway and will determine if it is a cost effective solution for maintaining walkways.
It’s good to see that different ideas are being explored in order to bring us pedestrians safer and smoother sidewalks. Visit Capitol Hill Seattle for photos.
