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Sep
27

16th Avenue SW: SW 100th Street to SW 107th Street Pedestrian Safety Improvements & Traffic Calming Project

This project will make it safer for people to travel along 16th Avenue SW between SW 100th Street and SW 107th Street in White Center. King County will add safer street crossings, clearer signs and road improvements to help reduce speeding. The project also adds more on-street parking for people in the neighborhood.

Existing view of 16th Avenue SW approaching SW 107th Street, looking south.


Status update

August 15, 2022

Thank you to the hundreds of community members who took our project survey and provided comments.

March 2022 Survey results:

Option 1 (includes bike lanes): 399
Option 2 (no bike lanes, slightly more parking): 232
Other (neither option): 181
Total: 812

We are moving forward with Option 1 (includes bike lanes). based on the survey results and general comments received. The final project design is expected to be complete in late 2023, construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2024.


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Project map

Why is this project needed?

16th Avenue SW is an important road for people walking, biking, and driving. However, the existing road is built more for car traffic than people walking or biking. We are focusing on this section of 16th Avenue SW to calm traffic and make it safer for everyone. This busy section of 16th Avenue SW has more than 22 collisions involving pedestrians have been reported between 2011 and 2020. Traffic studies have shown that the types of safety improvements included in this project can reduce the number of collisions by up to one-third.

Existing view of 16th Avenue SW approaching SW 107th Street, looking south.

Higher speeds can result in more collisions with pedestrians

Roads with one travel lane in each direction and one center turn lane down the middle have slower, calmer traffic, which is especially important for pedestrians and people biking. The risk of injury and death to these users decreases as vehicle speeds decrease.

  • Fewer travel lanes make it safer to cross the street and allow room for sidewalk curb extensions and buffered bicycle lanes.
  • Sidewalk curb extensions reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians in the crosswalk.
  • Buffered bicycle lanes provide a dedicated place for non-motorized traffic.

Safety improvements coming to 16th Avenue SW

This project will calm traffic and improve pedestrian safety by providing the following:

  • One lane in each direction
    Helps prevent speeding by slowing down traffic and makes crossings safer for people walking.
  • Center turn lane
    Provides a safer place for drivers to make left turns. This allows traffic to move freely in the main travel lane.
  • Sidewalk curb extensions at SW 104th Street and SW 106th Street intersections
    There are no traffic signals at these two intersections to stop traffic. Sidewalk curb extensions will help drivers see people walking in the crosswalk. The extensions also shorten the distance people need to cross.
  • New pedestrian crossing signs at intersections that do not have a traffic signal
    High-visibility signs alert drivers when pedestrians are crossing 16th Avenue SW at SW 104th and SW 106th Street.
  • On-street parking with a buffer next to parking lane
    All on-street parking will have a minimum 2-foot-wide buffer separating the parking lane from the vehicle lane.

Graphic showing existing roadway configuration.

Design option selected for 16th Avenue SW between SW 100th and SW 107th streets

The project is moving forward with design option 1 (includes bike lanes). King County conducted a full outreach campaign, from Feb. 4 through March 23, 2022, to help determine which proposed design option to include in the final project design. We presented community members with two road design options.

  • Option 1: Three lanes, includes dedicated bike lanes in both directions and additional street parking on the east side.
  • Option 2: Three lanes, does not include dedicated bike lanes, does include additional street parking on both sides of the road.

More than half of the people we heard from said option 1 (bike lanes) would best meet the needs of the surrounding community.

Winter 2022 project survey results

  • Option 1 (includes bike lanes): 399
  • Option 2 (no bike lanes, slightly more parking): 232
  • Other (neither option): 181
  • Total: 812 people

Winter 2022 community outreach was conducted between February 4 and March 23, 2022.

Outreach included: 4,000 postcards to local residences, businesses and organizations; an online project survey (812 responses);more than 50 in-person and online meetings with businesses, community partners, King County Council and local residents; 6 articles in local blogs and newsletters; several social media posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Option 1: Bike lanes in both directions; northbound parking lane

Option 1: Parking on east side of road. 16th Avenue SW near SW 106th Street, looking north.

  • Restripes roadway between SW 100th and SW 107th streets
    Adds: One travel lane in both directions and one center turning lane.
  • Adds 19 more curbside parking spaces between SW 100th and SW 107th on northbound 16th Avenue SW.
    Total of 53 curbside parking spaces between SW 100th and SW 107th on 16th Avenue SW.
  • Bicycle lanes on both sides of 16th Avenue SW
    Includes buffer space between bike lanes and travel lanes.
  • Two-foot buffer space between bike lanes and vehicle travel lane
    More space for people on bikes and other forms of active transportation, help riders avoid moving cars and opening doors of parked cars.

Options comparison

King County selected design option 1. The table below compares the two design options that were considered for this project.

  FEATURES OPTION 1 OPTION 2 EXISTING ROADWAY

Bikes

 Bike lanes ✓

Buffer space.

 Buffer space between moving traffic and parked vehicles ✓
 ✓

Sidewalk extensions.

 Sidewalk extensions at two intersections: SW 104th and SW 106th ✓

 ✓

One lane.

 One lane in each direction ✓
 ✓

Center turn lane.

 Center turn lane ✓
 ✓
 ✓

Two lanes.

 Two lanes in both directions

✓

Parking spaces.

 Parking spaces
 53
 73
 34

Project budget

King County received a $862,200 Highway Safety Improvement Program grant and has set aside an additional $95,800 in local funds for the project.

Project timeline

  • Preliminary design complete: Late 2021.
  • Initial public outreach and comment period complete: Early 2022.
  • Final design complete: Late 2023.
  • Ongoing public outreach: Late 2022 through 2024.
  • Project complete: Late 2024.

Frequently asked questions

We are focusing on this section of 16th Avenue SW to calm traffic and make it safer for everyone. This busy section of 16th Avenue SW has the highest number of collisions involving pedestrians. More than 22 accidents have been reported between 2011 and 2020. Traffic studies have shown that the types of safety improvements included in this project can reduce the number of crashes by 33 percent. The project also adds more on-street parking, which can bring increased foot traffic to local businesses.
On a four-lane road, drivers stop in the left-hand lane to make left turns, increasing the risk of being struck by a driver using the left lane to go straight. When the road is changed to have two travel lanes and one center turn lane, the center lane provides a dedicated place for left-turning vehicles to wait. This allows traffic to move freely in the main travel lanes. In addition, one main travel lane in each direction helps to slow traffic. Fewer crashes happen when traffic is calmer.
Roads with three lanes have slower, calmer traffic, which is especially important for vulnerable users like pedestrians and people biking. The risk of injury and death to these users decreases as vehicle speeds decrease. Fewer travel lanes allow room for sidewalk curb extensions and buffered bicycle lanes. Sidewalk curb extensions reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Buffered bicycle lanes provide a dedicated place for non-motorized traffic.
No, the new lanes will be able to carry the traffic volumes that are existing on 16th Avenue SW. This means traffic will flow freely, but the overall speed of traffic will be slower.
The project includes a dedicated center turn lane at intersections that have a traffic light. Left turn signals and a dedicated center turn lane help reduce collisions at intersections. Trucks longer than 40-feet in length will use the signalized intersections at SW 100th, SW 102nd and SW 107th streets to turn since there will be no curb extensions (bulb-outs) added at these locations.
The project includes the following American with Disabilities Act safety features:
  • Countdown pedestrian signal heads will let pedestrians know how much time remains to cross the intersection
  • Audible messaging will inform pedestrians which crossing has a “walk”
  • Vibration and tactile surfaces at crosswalks and intersections will also inform pedestrians which crossing has a “walk”
  • High visibility pedestrian safety signs make it easier for drivers to know when to expect pedestrians
  • Accessible ramps help people with disabilities, people pushing strollers, and others, access the crosswalk
Metro Transit's RapidRide H line will operate on 16th Avenue SW south of SW 107th Street. View the RapidRide H Line website.
King County received a $862,200 Highway Safety Improvement Program grant and has set aside an additional $95,800 in local funds for the project.
One of two proposed design alternatives for this project adds a five-foot (5-foot)-wide bike lane and a minimum two-foot (2-foot) striped buffer space between the bike lane and the vehicle lane or parking spaces. Buffered bike lanes provide more space for people using bikes or other forms of non-motorized transportation, so they aren't sharing space with moving motor vehicles. The bike lanes and striped buffer areas also will help riders avoid opening car doors. The second proposed design alternative does not include a bike lane.
The existing 25 MPH speed limit increases to 30 MPH at SW 100th Street. This project may extend the 25 MPH speed limit on 16th Ave SW between SW 100th and SW 107th streets, pending additional study of how traffic moves through the area. We are considering a speed limit reduction between SW 100th and SW 107th streets.
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