It’s a couple of years away, but Pacific Highway South on the West Hill in Kent will get a new pedestrian crossing between South 244th and South 246th streets.
The city of Kent received an $1.16 million grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Highway Safety Improvement Program. The City Council accepted the grant during its Dec. 10 meeting, its final meeting of 2024. The Federal Highway Administration grant money is distributed through WSDOT.
The new crossing will be constructed in 2027, according to an email from City Public Works Director Chad Bieren, who explained the reasons for a 2027 date.
“Pacific Highway is officially State Route 99, and requires concurrence from WSDOT before construction,” Bieren said. “The approval process through WSDOT generally takes 12-18 months, then we can advertise for contractors and construct the project.”
Public Works staff prioritized Pacific Highway South and South 246th Street for a pedestrian crossing.
“The location was identified as a higher pedestrian risk than other areas of the city, based on the 2024 Local Road Safety Plan,” Bieren said.
The city’s Local Road Safety Plan is a data-driven analysis of crash patterns on Kent roadways in an effort to determine where safety improvements are needed. The plan is updated every two years and is required by WSDOT to be eligible for certain grant programs.
Every two years WSDOT asks for proposals as part of its Highway Safety Improvement Program. City staff applied for the grant in March 2024 and state highway staff selected the project in October, according to David Payne, city transportation planner.
The crossing will be installed just north of South 246th Street, Payne said during a November report to the City Council’s Committee of the Whole. The location is just a block east of the city’s Salt Air Vista Park and south of Lowe’s and Dick’s Drive-In. There are Metro bus stops near where the crossing will go.
“That will be well received,” said City Councilmember Brenda Fincher, who lives on the West Hill.
The project will include a pedestrian hybrid beacon and median refuge island on Pacific Highway South. The project is eligible for 100% funding if obligated prior to April 20, 2027.
WSDOT received $35 million in federal grants to distribute across the state. The funds are available every two years. Kent received $1.9 million in 2022 and $1.6 million in 2020 to help pay for other safety improvement projects, including a roundabout at 108th Avenue SE and SE 264th Street.
City staff proposed funding to WSDOT for three pedestrian projects, Pacific Highway South near South 246th Street, Canyon Drive near South 252nd Street and Kent-Kangley Road near Lake Meridian Park. WSDOT picked the Pacific Highway project. All three are along state routes that go through Kent.
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