More Spokane Street savings frees more funding for road safety projects

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Last month McGinn announced $11.75 million in transportation investments resulting from savings on the Spokane Street Viaduct project. Those savings occurred because of cost savings due to a favorable bidding climate and strong management of this $163 million project. Today’s funding comes from additional project savings, bringing the total savings to $15 million.

“We have heard from the public that they want safety improvements on our roads,” said McGinn in a statement. “These improvements will help protect safety for people on these busy corridors whether they’re in their cars and trucks, on foot, or on a bicycle.”

The $3.25 million in funding will be used for the following projects:

- Improvements to East Marginal Way in SoDo

$700,000 for pavement maintenance, restriping, and exploring interim cycle track options to provide further separation of bicycles and auto traffic.

$200,000 will be included for conceptual planning and pre-design for a permanent reconstruction to the road, which will also include a long-term design of separated bicycle facilities such as a cycle track.

- Westlake Avenue Cycle Track

$1.2 million for final design and construction of this project to improve separation between bicycles and vehicles and link the Ship Canal trail to South Lake Union. When combined with previous funding from the City and Puget Sound Regional Council, this project will have $2.3 million of funding which may be enough to build the facility depending on final design.

- $500,000 for Lower Spokane Street Safety Improvements. Project elements will be developed with input from the community, the Port, and other stakeholders and may include:

Improving pavement conditions along the pathway.

Improving crossing at Port driveways

Improving crossing for bicyclists at Chelan (5-way) intersection.

Improving crossing for bicyclists from the path to SW Avalon Way/SW Admiral Way.

Increase separation for bicyclists on SW Admiral Way.

Improving Delridge to Andover connection to the bicycle path.

- $400,000 for implementation of the Pedestrian Master Plan

- $250,000 for transit-oriented design in multiple neighborhoods:

Study at Rainier Avenue South and Martin Luther King Jr. Way South to identify alternatives, conduct a traffic analysis, conceptual design, develop conceptual cost estimates and conduct public outreach

New transportation analysis near Roosevelt light rail station, assessing station area access issues including evaluation of the Roosevelt/11^th one-way couplet

Station access and transit-oriented design near Othello Station

This is in addition to the previously announced $11.75 million in transportation investments from Spokane Street Viaduct savings.