In February, people throughout the city submitted ideas for improving streets and parks in their neighborhoods as part of the City’s Your Voice, Your Choice program. In the Ravenna-Bryant neighborhood, three ideas were proposed: two to create safer pedestrian crossings along NE 55th Street and one to increase pedestrian and bike safety on 20th Avenue NE where the street meets the entrance to the footbridge.
As part of the Your Voice, Your Choice initiative, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) shared information about how much street improvements cost. This is important information for Ravenna-Bryant considering the number of street improvements that are needed in addition to those proposed through this initiative.
Concrete Sidewalk – $65,000 to $90,000. (Your Voice, Your Choice projects are those that are less than ⅓ block (110’) in length or locations where a curb already exists and there are no drainage issues.)
Curb Bulb – $50,000 to $80,000.
Curb Ramps – $25,000 per ramp. Typically, projects require ramps to be installed in pairs.
Marked Crosswalk – If a crossing meets national standards, and curb ramps exist, crosswalks can be signed and marked for $8,500. If no curb ramps are present, they must be installed, for an average of $15,000/per ramp. If SDOT determines additional measures are needed, such as an overhead sign, flashing beacons, etc., these may add $25,000 in cost.
Median Island with 2 curb ramps – $40,000, assuming there are no drainage impacts.
Sidewalk Repair – $90,000 or less for a six-foot wide sidewalk on a typical block (330’ long). Costs are higher if trees are present.
Street Trees – $1,000/tree.
Pedestrian Countdown Signal – $7,000 per intersection (4 crossings).
Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) – $50,000 to $70,000 per two-direction approach, for equipment, design and construction only, cost varying depending on installation costs and availability of power source.
Radar Speed Signs – $25,000 to $35,000 includes two radar speed signs.
Speed Humps – $5,000 per speed hump including signs. Speed hump projects usually consist of a minimum of three humps for a total of $15,000.
Traffic Circle – $25,000 to $30,000 but costs vary depending upon landing area, size of the circle, and survey work due to monument resetting.
Sidewalks on NE 50th Street: Last year, as part of the Neighborhood Street Fund program, SDOT estimated that it would cost $848,000 to build new sidewalks on NE 50th Street between 30th Avenue NE and 35th Avenue NE. While RBCA’s proposal was chosen as one of the top five projects in NE Seattle, funding was not provided. RBCA was able to secure mitigation funds from University Village that could cover about $248,000 of project costs and continues to advocate for funds to cover the balance.