FOLLOWUP: What’s ahead for traffic-calming on 16th SW and elsewhere around West Seattle

(WSB photo, Tuesday)

After tips about the speed cushions that have just been installed on 16th Avenue SW in the Cloverdale/Trenton vicinity, we sent inquiries to SDOT regarding why, and regarding what else is ahead, there and anywhere else in West Seattle, for “traffic-calming.” We received a detailed reply, first about the 16th SW additions:

(About the newly installed speed cushions), those will be part of a Safe Routes to School project, and will include 3 speed cushions near Highland Park Elementary School on 16th Ave SW between SW Sullivan St and SW Henderson St.

The project also includes repainting the parking-edge line to narrow travel lanes to 11 feet on 16th Ave SW between SW Holden St and SW Henderson St. Narrowing lanes in combination with the speed cushions should slow down driver speeds and make 16th more comfortable to cross.

You can expect to see 5 more speed cushions on 16th Ave SW as part of the Vision Zero street-calming project between SW Brandon St to SW Roxbury St. That includes:

-4 new speed cushions north of SW Holly St
-1 speed cushion south of SW Othello St

That project also includes safety enhancements to improve visibility for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians at 12 intersections on 16th Ave SW (between SW Findlay St and SW Cambridge St), as well as centerline raised pavement markers (between SW Brandon St and SW Roxbury St).

So that’s what’s ahead for 16th SW. As for the rest of West Seattle:

Additional speed cushions coming to West Seattle:

*On SW Trenton St between 35th Ave SW to Delridge Way SW.

*On 62nd, 61st and 60th Aves SW in Alki.

Some of those streets already have speed cushions, so we’re pursuing details on exact locations. Last but not least, from SDOT’s reply:

Additional Safe Routes to School projects that we expect to build this year in West Seattle include:

–Madison Middle School – push button crossing beacon (i.e., RRFB) at California/Hinds and California/Spokane and intersection daylighting (paint/post bulbs that make people crossing easier to see) to improve the Madison School Street crossings [45th SW in front of the school]

–Pathfinder K-8 – curb ramps adjacent to the school at 19th Ave SW and SW Genesee St

-West Seattle Elementary – All-way stops adjacent to the school

SDOT’s reply also mentioned one school-safety project for Concord International Elementary in South Park, “curb bulbs adjacent to the school (on 7th/Henderson and 8th/Henderson) and a separate walkway with trees on S Henderson St between 12th and 14th Ave S (currently under construction).

We have a standing request with SDOT for the construction notices on projects like all of these, typically just sent to neighbors in the immediate area but often of interest far beyond; we don’t always get them, so your collaboration is appreciated – let us know if you get a notice and/or see pre-construction markings!

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