SEATTLE — Over a quarter of Seattle’s streets don’t have sidewalks, according to data from the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).
SDOT gave a presentation to the Seattle City Council transportation committee on Tuesday highlighting which city areas have the greatest need for new sidewalks. Roads without sidewalks are mostly concentrated north of 85th Street and in south Seattle, which are areas that were incorporated from King County. The department identified expanding the city’s sidewalk network as a major priority.
The city council committee is working on its new transportation plan, which, in part, builds on SDOT’s previous work prioritizing and constructing safe walkways for pedestrians across the city.
There are multiple ways that sidewalks are constructed within the city of Seattle. Private developers are required to build sidewalks when constructing 10 or more housing units in urban centers or urban villages, or when six or more units are constructed in other residential zones. The Washington State Department of Transportation, Sound Transit, Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Utilities also deliver new sidewalks as part of their work within the city.
SDOT prioritizes building new walkways by looking at the following criteria:
Identifying streets with the highest number of collisions and roadways with the highest speeds that are currently without sidewalks;
Identifying communities without sidewalks where they measure a higher number or low-income and disabled residents, BIPOC communities and communities with higher poverty and obesity rates;
Identifying urban villages and communities where there are large older adult populations, senior centers and healthcare facilities.
Under the new transportation plan, SDOT would also take into consideration areas around parks without sidewalks, and any areas which are rezoned as urban villages or urban centers under the new guidelines.
