More than 50 blocks are slated new sidewalks in Seattle this year. The plan is related to the updated Pedestrian Master Plan (PMP), which is headed for City Council approval. $22 million would be dedicated to funding installation for this year alone with dollars coming from the Move Seattle Levy passed by voters in 2015. The bulk of new sidewalks are planned for South Seattle and North Seattle, areas which are known to have significant gaps in the pedestrian network.
The PMP guides where pedestrian investments go, placing a high priority on developing safe pedestrian facilities near schools, providing access to transit, and building networks in traditionally under-served communities. That’s why neighborhoods like Lake City, Beacon Hill, Rainier Beach, Roxbury Heights, and Bitter Lake would specifically get significant investments in new sidewalks.
The PMP identifies long-term priority investments in pedestrian infrastructure, what it refers to as the “Priority Investment Network” (PIN). The PIN spans a 20-year timeframe and looks at both arterial streets and non-arterial street that rank has high priorities for new sidewalks. The arterial street PIN identifies 572 blockfaces (or 42.1 miles) that need investment. The City estimates that alone would cost $171 million (2016 dollars). The non-arterial street PIN identifies another 3,109 blockfaces (or 206.4 miles) that are missing sidewalks–more than five times as many as the arterial PIN. The cost to build out the non-arterial PIN streets with sidewalks ranges from $256 million to $466 million (2016 dollars), depending upon whether missing sidewalk segments are filled in on one or both sides of streets.
The 20-year PIN, however, makes up just a fraction of the 900 or so miles of missing sidewalks in the city.
Nevertheless, the $22 million worth of sidewalks planned for 2017 represent a big chunk of the Move Seattle Levy, which is dedicating $61 million for sidewalks during the nine-year levy. At least 250 new blocks of sidewalks will be constructed during the life of the levy and another 225 blocks will be rebuilt or repaired as part of Move Seattle program (the budget for that line item is $15 million).
Mayor Ed Murray announced the proposal yesterday and plans to it to the City Council this week for approval.
Related Articles
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.