In 2010, SDOT began Safe Routes to School programs at Olympic Hills Elementary and Roxhill Elementary. At that time, both school communities identified pedestrian improvements as one of their top priorities. Olympic Hills wanted to improve the walking route to school between the school and the Lake City branch library and Roxhill identified pedestrian improvements between Roxhill and the Arbor Heights neighborhood.
Currently, Olympic is concerned about the sidewalks on NE 130th Street which are incomplete and Roxhill has no sidewalk 30th Avenue SW. In both situations the street is shared by pedestrians and car traffic.
SDOT applied for and received grants from the Washington State Department of Transportation to build these needed sidewalks. In addition to sidewalk construction, this grant includes education and encouragement of walking and biking to school, additional traffic enforcement on the walking routes to school, and formal evaluation of arrival and dismissal patterns at the school. SDOT’s partners in these efforts include Feet First, Cascade Bicycle Club, White Center Community Development Association, and the Seattle Police Department. To learn more about these partnerships, download our Safe Routes to School newsletter.
Late last year, SDOT hosted a project open house at each school and invited neighbors to view 30% plans for the new sidewalks. At the open houses concerns were expressed about traffic speeds, drainage and the need for more street lighting. The communities also commented about the location and design of the public art that will be installed with each project. Based on that community feedback, the public art will feature a blue and green origami stellar jay. You can view updated renderings of the public art.
The projects will include the following enhancements:
Roxhill Elementary
• Building a new concrete sidewalk on the west side of 30th Avenue SW between SW Roxbury Street and SW 97th Street
• Additional street lighting
• Planting strip will be installed between the sidewalk and the street
• Planting trees, grass seed or groundcovers adjacent to the new sidewalk
• A curb bulb will be constructed on the northeast corner of 30th Avenue SW & SW Roxbury Street to shorten the pedestrian crossing distance and provide traffic calming at this busy intersection
• Installing ADA-compliant wheelchair ramps
• Rebuilding driveways
• Public art will be installed at the corner of SW Roxbury Street and 30th Avenue SW
Olympic Hills Elementary
• Building a new concrete sidewalk on the south side of NE 130th Street between 25th Avenue NE and 28th Avenue NE
• Additional street lighting
• Planting strip will be installed between the sidewalk and the street
• Planting trees, grass seed or groundcovers adjacent to the new sidewalk
• Installing ADA-compliant wheelchair ramps
• Rebuilding driveways
• Public art will be installed at the corner of NE 130th Street & 28th Avenue NE
The two projects will likely be built in late summer or fall of this year.
For questions regarding these Safe Routes to School projects, please contact Brian Dougherty, 206-684-5124, brian.dougherty@seattle.gov