You "Talked the Walk" With Us
In January 2014, the City of Tacoma identified $2.5 million in one-time funds for the planning, design, and construction of pedestrian crossing improvements throughout the community. This work was completed in August 2015 at 67 locations throughout the City. Among other improvements, the results of the work are:
- 167 curb ramps
- 23 bulbouts
- 157 crosswalks
- 4 flashing beacon systems
- 44 countdown pedestrian signal heads
To view the completed sites, refer to the District Maps and Project Lists below.
In August 2015, the Tacoma City Council allocated an additional $1.5 million for the continued design and construction of pedestrian crossing improvements. Active Construction Inc., and designers BCRA will continue to make up the City’s Design-Build team. Work will occur in each Council District at the locations chosen and prioritized by the public during the project’s outreach process.
Design and construction activities associated with the second phase of work has started and will continue into the Fall of 2016. This website will be updated as sites are approved for construction in each Council District.
Project Strategy
This project was guided by a six month public outreach process that started in February of 2014 and ended in July and included eight public meetings, web surveys and social media feedback, as well as outreach to local stakeholders. Public meetings were advertised and announced via social media, the Tacoma News Tribune, Tacoma Weekly, Exit 133 website, a banner on the City’s homepage, updates to the City of Tacoma’s project webpage, the City EnviroNews contact list, and at all Neighborhood Council and Business District meetings. Over 650 responses were received during this outreach period yielding the identification of 310 unique pedestrian improvement locations. These locations were then ranked based on the following criteria:
Very Important
The prioritization criteria are also being used to inform the City's Transportation Master Plan.
- Vehicle/pedestrian traffic volumes
- Proximity to schools
- Vehicle/pedestrian collisions
- Proximity to parks
Important
- Proximity to hospitals
- Proximity to bus stops
- Locations identified through this process, regardless of other characteristics
- Proximity to major employers and commercial centers
- Proximity to senior centers/housing
Somewhat Important
- Proximity to bike/trail systems
- Proximity to libraries
The ranking and evaluation process, the preliminary list of ranked locations by Council District and the Downtown, along with the tentative identification of sites for striping and/or other construction improvements (both by this project and other City projects), was presented to the public at meetings on June 30 and July 9, 2014.
Based on feedback from these meetings, and updated preliminary design and construction cost estimates, the planned improvements in each Council District and the Downtown are shown on the map below and the following attachments.
The actual number of sites that we will be able to improve depends on the conditions encountered in the field and the final design and construction costs. Traditionally, the City has not been able to budget for general pedestrian crossing improvements outside of the Hazardous Sidewalk Replacement Program and ADA Transition Plan. Instead, improvements have been made as required by ongoing construction projects, and as enabled through school safety grants. Therefore, we knew there would be more needs than could be addressed with this one-time funding. Sites that do not get improved through this effort will remain on each Council District's list and may be addressed through future pedestrian-focused projects, based on available funding.
To view the completed locations, please refer to the map below.