Pedestrian safety improvements & traffic calming project coming to 16th Ave SW in White Center

A new road project will soon make it safer for people to travel along 16th Ave SW between SW 100th Street and SW 107th Street in White Center, King County said.

The 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.

Here’s more from the county:

Why is this project needed?
16th Ave 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.

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.

Design options for 16th Avenue SW between SW 100th and SW 107th streets
King County will choose one of two design options shown below. Both options will calm traffic and make it safer for people on foot. We want to hear from you. View the two options below and take our project survey to help us select the option you want to see.

We want to hear from you!
Participate in an anonymous survey to help King County identify the traffic calming and pedestrian changes that best meet the needs of the community. Survey link: surveymonkey.com/r/16thAveSW-en

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

Option 2: No bike lanes; buffered parking on both sides

• • Adds 39 curbside parking spaces on both sides of 16th Avenue SW
    Total of 73 total spaces between SW 100th and SW 107th streets in 16th Avenue SW.
  • Four (4)-foot buffer space between parking lane vehicle travel lane
    Provides room between moving vehicles and people getting in and out of parked vehicles.
  • No bicycle lanes
    People on bikes share lanes with motor vehicles.

Included in both options

• • Restripes roadway between SW 100th and SW 107th streets.
  • One travel lane in both directions.
  • One center turning lane.

Options comparison:

	FEATURES	OPTION 1	OPTION 2	EXISTING ROADWAY
	Bike lanes
	Buffer space between moving traffic and parked vehicles
	Sidewalk extensions at two intersections: SW 104th and SW 106th
	One lane in each direction
	Center turn lane
	Two lanes in both directions
	Parking spaces	53	73	34