March 2024 Project Update

Two concepts for a new, continuous pedestrian/bicycle improvement have been prepared by the KPG-Psomas team for review:

Option 1 - An 8-10 foot wide shared use pathway for both pedestrian and bicycle use. The pathway will be seperated from the street by a curb and, where possible, landscaping. This shared-use pathway, similar to the one on South Lake Stevens Drive, will be at a typical level of a sidewalk, a few inches above the street. The surface for much of the pathway will be asphalt, shifting to concrete for driveway entrances, pedestrian ramps at crosswalks, and the occasional existing concrete sidewalk section. This concept will require shifting of postal boxes and transit stops out to the new curb line, though both will be in the same locations they are today.

Option 2 - A 5-foot sidewalk and 5-foot bike lane. The sidewalk will be seperated from the existing drive lane new bike lane by a curb (and, where possible, landscaping), and be elevated a few inches above the street surface. The bike lane will be painted along the existing street asphalt surface. The sidewalk, as with other City sidewalks, will be concrete. This option will require similar lane alignment corrections to Option 1, requiring shifting of postal boxes and transit stops out to the new curb line, though both will be in the same locations they are today.

Both options necessitate that existing, informal use of the undeveloped roadway shoulder on the east side of the street for sporadic parking will have to be removed. This modification aligns with both the character and classification of the street; a straight and continuous route for safe use by pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers; and elimination of conflicts between street users and parked cars.

Option 1 is currently the preferred option for a number of reasons, some of which will be further explored during project design this month:

• Moderately less expensive
• More flexibility for pedestrians
• Safer, particularly for cyclists of varying levels of skill and riding comfort
• Cleaner and more efficient stormwater management, particularly by both avoiding adding pollution-generating surface and removing existing pollution-generating surfaces
• Easier preservation of existing trees close to the pedestrian path

The project team will also be completing a tree inventory and condition assessment for trees located within and close to the right-of-way.