Child pressing pedestrian crosswalk button. Photo: SDOT In this SDOT Best of the Month, we’ll highlight some of the projects that made news in March – and some that didn’t.
- The new rectangular rapid flashing beacon at Dayton Ave N and N 50th St helps kids and families safely walk and roll to school and to Woodland Park.
- Our Transportation Operations Division Signal Crews installed a traffic signal at NE 125th St and 28th Ave NE as part of the NE 125th St Pedestrian Safety Enhancements project.
- We are partnering with the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps and Dirt Corps to make much-needed improvements to the Duwamish Trail in South Park.
- On the blog: We’re reducing speed limits throughout the city, improving sidewalks, upgrading curb ramps, creating protected bike lanes on N 34th St, and partnering with Seattle Public Schools to help kids and families get to and from school safely.
- Many of these projects are funded by your investment through the Levy to Move Seattle.
Our crews work around the clock, around the city, to keep you moving safely. Here are a few big accomplishments that didn’t make it into our blog this month.
We are making changes both large and small to make the city safer for people walking, rolling, and biking.
In March, we activated a new rectangular rapid flashing beacon at Dayton Ave N and N 50th St. These are flashing lights to make it clearer that there is a person crossing the crosswalk.
As part of the Your Voice Your Choice program, Northwest Seattle residents voted to fund improvements to the crosswalk near the Kapka Cooperative School and Woodland Park Zoo in 2017 to make it safer for kids and families to walk and roll to school or the park. Funding was awarded to design and construct a rectangular rapid flashing beacon, which gives a flashing warning to people driving when someone is in or about to enter a crosswalk.
After upgrading this intersection’s curb ramps and repaving the street as part of the Green Lake and Wallingford Paving and Multi-modal Improvements project, our Transportation Operations Division Signal Crews installed the rectangular rapid flashing beacon which was activated earlier this month! Now, kids and families can feel safer when they cross the road.
People using the crossword to cross Dayton Ave N and 50th St. Photo: SDOT
Our signal crews installed a new signal at NE 125th St and 28th Ave NE as part of the NE 125th St Pedestrian Safety Enhancements project.
NE 125th St and 28th Ave NE in Lake City is an important, busy intersection near a library and community center. The NE 125th St Pedestrian Safety Enhancements were an idea submitted by the community and supported by the Lake City Collective as a part of the Neighborhood Street Fund program. This program enables community members to suggest ideas for local transportation and safety improvements, and is made possible through the Levy to Move Seattle.
New traffic signal at NE 125th St and 28th Ave NE. Photo: SDOT
Since 2019, we’ve painted crosswalks and added posts, concrete curb bulbs, and accessible pedestrian ramps to the intersection. These improvements give people walking and rolling more space and makes them more visible to people driving. Read more about the earlier stages of the project. Last month, we turned on a new traffic signal at the intersection.
We are working with the South Park community to improve the Duwamish Trail
One of the highest priorities for the residents of South Park has been maintaining the Duwamish Trail on the west side of Highway 99. The trail is an important link for people walking, rolling, and biking through the South Park neighborhood. It provides a connection to help families get to Concord International Elementary School and access the library and other important community resources.
As part of our work to Reconnect West Seattle, we worked in partnership the with Dirt Corps and Duwamish Valley Youth Corps (DVYC) to remove over 2,000 sq ft of invasive plants, add a weed retention barrier, and distribute ten yards of animal-friendly woody mulch.
These improvements help this area feel more open, fresh, and functional for those walking, rolling, and biking. The DVYC will water the plants over the summer and plant more perennials in the fall. We are also partnering with community members to install art and other improvements along the trail. We look forward to working in partnership with Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to develop a long-term maintenance process.
This is another example of how we are working with the community to identify and make changes that mean the most. Last month, we partnered with DVYC to plant about 40 trees in South Park after residents brought forward concerns about air pollution, heat zones, and the lack of trees in the neighborhood.
In case you missed it on the blog this month: We’re making our streets safer for people walking and rolling while balancing the needs of all travel modes (all funded in part by the Levy to Move Seattle).
We’ve finished lowering speed limits on most streets in Seattle.
We’ve reached our goal of reducing speed limits to 25 mph on most major roads of Seattle. This work supports Seattle’s long-term Vision Zero initiative to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030. Read more here.
In partnership with WSDOT, we are lowering speed limits on portions of state routes that look and feel like normal city streets. We installed lower speed limit signs on State Route 99/Aurora Ave N on March 30. Read more here.
We are making traveling on N 34th St safer.
Work on the N 34th St Mobility Project started last month. When the project is complete this year, you’ll see protected bike lanes from Fremont Ave W to Stone Way N, updated intersections at key cross-streets, a more comfortable and predictable bike connection between the Fremont Bridge to Stone Way N. Read more here.
We’re working with Seattle Public Schools to keep families safe as in-person schooling returns with new “School Streets” where most cars are not allowed.
Students headed back to their classrooms this week as Seattle Public Schools transitions to in-person learning. Stay Healthy Streets and new “School Streets” in front of schools are open to people walking, rolling, and biking, and closed to pass through vehicles. During the pandemic, we’ve completed about 20 Safe Routes to School projects to increase safety for people walking, rolling, and biking near schools. Read more here.