Accessible Mt Baker Near-term Improvements Survey

Welcome to the Accessible Mt Baker Near-term Improvements Survey!

The Mt Baker Station Area has been the focus of several planning processes in the past 10 years in which the community has articulated a vision for a thriving, diverse, sustainable, and affordable town center.

Part of that vision is improved transportation safety and connections. SDOT is currently working on steps toward the greater vision, including near-term walking/biking improvements to help people get to the transit center and light rail station at Rainier and MLK. That’s what this survey is about!

Based on past outreach, we’ve identified the list below of potential near-term improvement concepts. By the end of this year, we'll select which to move forward to develop into design based on costs/benefits and community input. This survey will review each of these improvements and ask you to rank your choices. Please submit your responses by December 11, 2019.

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1. Extend sidewalk corners (i.e. add curb bulbs) on the east side of Rainier and MLK
This would decrease the distance people walking have to travel to get across the street.

Anticipated cost: $$$
Anticipated impact: Potential travel time increase for people driving southbound on MLK

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2. Widen sidewalk on Rainier Ave S adjacent to the Franklin High School playfields and adjacent to the Starbucks on Rainier; includes sidewalk repair where needed

Anticipated cost: $$$$
Anticipated impact: Likely requires removing northbound right turn lane from Rainier to MLK which would increase travel times for northbound drivers and buses on Rainier Ave S

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3. Widen crosswalks at Rainier/Forest, Rainier/MLK, and Rainier/Mt Baker Blvd
Widening crosswalks designates more space for people walking. This includes building new curb ramps at some locations.

Anticipated cost: $$
Anticipated impact: None

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4. Change north lane of Mt Baker Blvd to walk/bike only
This would move 2-way traffic to the south lane of S Mt Baker Blvd and create a protected pathway connecting Franklin High School to the pedestrian bridge and light rail station.

Anticipated cost: $$$$ (cost could range based on design)
Anticipated impact: Will need to coordinate with fire station to ensure south lane of Mt Baker Blvd is wide enough for 2-way traffic and fire trucks

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5. No right on red heading north from Rainier to MLK
Prohibiting right turns on red lights improves safety by making traffic flow more predictable.

Anticipated cost: $
Anticipated impact: Some travel time increase for drivers and buses going northbound on Rainier Ave S

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6. Artistic enhancements to pedestrian bridge
This would contribute to safety by attracting more people to use the pedestrian bridge.

Anticipated cost: $$
Anticipated impact: None

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7. New crosswalks at Rainier Ave/Mt Baker Blvd and MLK Jr Way/S Winthrop St (includes relocating existing signal)
Adding crosswalks near the pedestrian bridge would improve the connection between Franklin High School and the light rail station as well as improve ADA accessibility (Americans with Disabilities Act).

Anticipated cost: $$$$$
Anticipated impact: Relocating the traffic signal at Rainier/MLK would mean that drivers would need to stop further south which would extend the distance to drive across the intersection. This could increase travel times for both southbound and northbound vehicle travel as cars and buses at intersection would now be stopped to allow for an additional pedestrian crossing.

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8. Improve pedestrian crossing at Rainier/McClellan and MLK/McClellan
This improvement would shorten the crossing at Rainier/McClellan by extending the southeast corner. It would also improve the crossing at MLK/McClellan in coordination with the MLK Protected Bike Lane project.

Anticipated cost: $$
Anticipated impact: Some travel time increase for drivers

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* 1. Time to choose! Please rank your choices with 1 being your top choice and 8 being your least preferred.

1. Extend sidewalk corners (i.e. add curb bulbs) on the east side of Rainier and MLK

2. Increase sidewalk width and repair sidewalk adjacent to the Franklin High School playfields and adjacent to the Starbucks on Rainier

3. Widen crosswalks at Rainier/Forest, Rainier/MLK, and Rainier/Mt Baker Blvd

4. Change north lane of Mt Baker Blvd to walk/bike only

5. No right on red heading north from Rainier to MLK

6. Artistic enhancements to pedestrian bridge

7. New crosswalks near pedestrian bridge (includes relocating existing signal)

8. Improve pedestrian crossings at Rainier/McClellan and MLK/McClellan

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* 1. Time to choose! Please rank your choices with 1 being your top choice and 8 being your least preferred.

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* 2. Feel free to share why you chose this ranking and any additional comments:

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