Summary

Residents in the West Hill neighborhood celebrated a new “Welcome to Skyway” gateway sign and better sidewalk connections within their community Wednesday as part of recent King County work along Renton Avenue South.

Story

More work planned to improve walkability in the community

Residents in the West Hill neighborhood celebrated a new “Welcome to Skyway” gateway sign and better sidewalk connections within their community Wednesday as part of recent King County work along Renton Avenue South.

The sign unveiling marked completion of recent Renton Avenue South sidewalk improvements near 76th Avenue Southeast and comes as officials announced another $650,000 in grant funding for more sidewalk work next year.

“We know that there are still sidewalks gaps to fill both here and across the county, but this is a step in the right direction for safety and business development in Skyway,” said Brenda Bauer, King County Road Services director. “Helping people walk in their communities improves the environment and makes us healthier and more connected.”

The improvements help to better connect residents with local businesses, the transit system and critical neighborhood and regional service agencies like the Youth and Family Service Center and the Miracles Food Bank. The new sidewalks will deliver residents to the current Skyway Library just around the corner, and will deliver people to the doorstep of the future Skyway Library at the intersection. The new King County library is scheduled to break ground and preliminary designs show an 8,000 square foot structure with room for more materials and computers, space for children and teens and a community meeting room.

Crews completed the first round of sidewalk work on Renton Avenue South in 2013. The community identified improvements in 2002 as a way to revitalize the Renton Avenue South corridor with a “boulevard feel” to welcome pedestrians and cyclists and encourage shoppers to visit local businesses.

Funding for the project was a team effort. County officials thanked the City of Renton for advocating for the project with the state Legislature, which then appropriated funds administered by the state Department of Commerce. King County also secured federal Housing and Urban Development funds from the Community Development Block Grant program. These efforts raised a little over $1 million dollars for this project.

More sidewalk work ahead
Thanks to a new federal grant from the Transportation Alternatives Program, King County will be investing another $650,000 in sidewalk improvements on Renton Avenue South. That project is being designed this year and later will break ground.

That project will continue to build missing links of sidewalks and improve bus stops just down the street. The next phase will be from 68th to 74th avenues south and from 75th Avenue South to South 126th Street, and on 78th Avenue South from Renton Avenue South to South 126th Street.