The Walk to School, Made Easier, Safer and More Fun!

This Saturday, April 26, SDOT is celebrating “Day of Play” with students at Olympic Hills Elementary in Lake City.  Volunteers from Feet First, Cascade Bicycle Club, and Lake City Neighborhood Greenways will be on hand to provide free bike helmets and fittings, bicycle safety training, healthy snacks and fun prizes.  Next month a similar event will be held at Roxhill Elementary in West Seattle.  This event, part of SDOT’s Safe Routes to School program, caps a season of construction to improve the walking and biking routes to these schools.

Roxhill Elementary School: Before and after photo looking north on 30th Avenue SW at SW Roxbury Street.

At Roxhill, SDOT constructed new sidewalk, curb, and planting strip with street trees on 30^th Avenue SW between SW Roxbury Street and SW 97^th Street, new street lighting, curb bulbs, and public art designed by Joyce Hsu at the corner of SW Roxbury Street and 30^th Avenue SW.  New crosswalks and curb bulbs will be constructed this summer while school is on break at the front door of the school at 30^th Avenue SW and SW Cambridge Street.

The new SRTS on NE 130th.

At Olympic Hills, improvements include new sidewalk, curb, planting strip, street trees on NE 130^th Street between 25^th Avenue NE and 28^th Avenue NE with a public art installation at NE 130^th Street and 28^th Avenue NE.  Additionally, two new crosswalks were marked for the walking school bus at 30^th Avenue NE and NE 133^rd Street, and 30^th Avenue NE and NE 137^th Street.

More Safe Routes to School projects are scheduled for construction later this year, including safety improvements at Beacon Avenue S and 14^th Avenue S for Beacon Hill International School students and NW 65^th Street and 18^th Avenue NW for Salmon Bay School students.  For more information about Safe Routes to School, visit the project web page at: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/saferoutes.htm.