Due to voter-approved funds provided by the Move Seattle levy, the City of Seattle began construction on its first 2016 Safe Routes to School project at Mercer Middle School on Jan. 14.
Following through on the levy commitment to complete a Safe Routes project at every public school in the city, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is building a paved, off-street trail to give Beacon Hill schoolchildren a safer place to walk and bike.
Approved by voters in November 2015, the nine-year, $930 million Levy to Move Seattle provides funding for safe routes ($207 million), maintenance and repair ($420 million), and congestion relief ($303 million).
SDOT has budgeted $6.7 million for Safe Routes to School projects at the following schools in 2016:
- Aki Kurose Middle School
- Arbor Heights Elementary
- Bailey Gatzert Elementary
- DF Day Elementary
- Bryant Elementary
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary
- Mercer Middle School
- Montlake Elementary
- Rainier Beach High School
- Salmon Bay Elementary
- Sanislo Elementary
- South Shore K-8
“Safety, especially for children, is the number one priority for SDOT,” said SDOT Director Scott Kubly. “Connecting neighborhood greenways and next to a park, this Move Seattle levy funded trail will keep our most vulnerable residents safe as they travel daily to and from school.”
A Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) grant is funding education and encouragement aspects of the project. Construction is funded through Seattle’s local funds and the grant, with the total cost of project construction estimated at $955,000. (end)
To learn more about the Safe Routes to School Five-Year Action Plan, visit
bit.ly/1SukA8p.
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