16th Avenue SW: SW 100th Street to SW 107th Street Pedestrian Safety Improvements & Traffic Calming Project

Project map

This project improves pedestrian safety along 16th Avenue SW between SW 100th Street and SW 107th Street. View larger image (106KB).

This project improves safety for pedestrians and calms traffic

The image above shows what 16th Avenue SW between SW 100th and SW 107th streets will look like once the project is complete. The road will be restriped to have one 11-foot-wide travel lane and one bike lane in each direction. There will be a center turn lane down the middle of the road, and an eight-foot (8-foot) wide parking lane on the east side of the road. View larger image (49KB)

Safety improvements coming to 16th Avenue SW

This project will calm traffic and improve pedestrian safety by providing the following:

• One lane in each direction
  This will help prevent speeding by slowing down traffic and makes crossings safer for people walking.
• Center turn lane
  Provides a safer place for drivers to make left turns. This will allow traffic to move freely in the main travel lane.
• Sidewalk curb extensions at SW 104th Street and SW 106th Street intersections
  There are no traffic signals at these two intersections to stop traffic. Sidewalk curb extensions will help drivers see people walking in the crosswalk. The extensions also will shorten the distance people need to cross.
• Rapid flashing lights and new pedestrian crossing signs at intersections that do not have a traffic signal
  Flashing lights and high-visibility signs will alert drivers when pedestrians are crossing 16th Avenue SW at SW 104th and SW 106th Street.
• Bicycle lanes in both directions
  New, five-foot (5-foot) wide bicycle lanes will separate bike riders from motor vehicle traffic. This will give people on bikes or other active transportation more room so that they don’t have to share the road with cars. 
• Two feet of extra space (buffer zone) on both sides of bike lane 
  Cyclists feel more comfortable and secure when they are not too close to moving traffic or parked cars. A two-foot (2-foot) wide buffer zone on both sides of the bike lane could help encourage more people to choose biking or other types of active transportation to get to where they want to go.

Changes to on-street parking

Currently, there are 43 parking spaces on 16th Avenue SW between SW 100th and SW 107th streets. The total number of parking spaces in the project area will likely stay the same, but their locations might change. For instance, parking spaces currently on the west side of the road may be moved to the east side. This shift is necessary to accommodate new bike lanes, sidewalk curb extensions, and safety improvements.

View parking map PDF (32MB)

Why is this project needed?

16th Avenue SW, is important for people walking, biking, and driving. However, it is currently more focused on cars and trucks than pedestrians or cyclists. We want to make this part of 16th Avenue SW safer for everyone. There have been 26 collisions with pedestrians reported in this busy area between 2011-2023. Studies show that the safety improvements like the ones included in this project can reduce the number of collisions up to one-third.

Existing roadway layout 

The image above shows what 16th Avenue SW between SW 100th and SW 107th streets look like today. The road currently has two travel lanes in each direction and a center turn lane. There are no bicycle lanes on this road. View larger image (55KB)

Google Earth photo of 16th Ave. SW between SW 107th and SW 102nd streets looking north (photo taken in 2022). The existing road layout is built more for car traffic than people walking or biking. 

Higher speeds can result in more collisions with pedestrians.

Roads with a single travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane have slower, calmer traffic. This is important for pedestrians and cyclists because slower vehicle speeds make it safer, reducing the risk of injury and death.

• Fewer travel lanes make it safer to cross the street and allow room for sidewalk curb extensions and buffered bicycle lanes.
• Sidewalk curb extensions reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians in the crosswalk.
• Extra space, or buffer zone, on both sides of the bicycle lane provides a dedicated place for non-motorized traffic.

Project budget and funding

The total estimated project cost is $1.9 million. The project is funded by COVID Relief grant money, a grant from the national Highway Safety Improvement Program, and local funds.

Project timeline

• Preliminary design complete: Late 2021.
• Initial public outreach and comment period complete: Spring 2022.
• Final design complete: Winter 2024
• Ongoing public outreach: 2022 through 2025.
• Construction: Summer 2025
• Project complete: Winter 2025

Community involvement 

Early project design - Winter and spring 2022  

The county worked with community members, businesses, and residents throughout the project. We joined community meetings and White Center events and also ran two major outreach campaigns. We conducted two online surveys—one early in the design process and another at the final stage.
 
King County conducted an outreach campaign and survey to collect input from over 800 community members. Two potential project design options were presented to the community for their consideration. 

1. Design option 1:
   • One travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane
   • Dedicated lanes for bicycles in both directions.
   • No change to on-street parking. Same number of existing parking spaces (46 spaces).
2. Design option 2:
   • One travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane
   • No dedicated lanes for bicycles.
   • Adds more street parking on both sides of the road.

Over half of the survey participants chose Design option 1 the best fit for the community’s needs. As a result, the County proceeded with this chosen design.

Late project design – Summer 2024

We held a community outreach meeting on July 24, 2024, and conducted a survey in July and August 2024. Slightly more than half of the 806 responses we got supported including bike lanes in both directions, along with other pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures included in the final design. 

• Contact us for survey results, or if you would like a copy of the 2024 community meeting presentation. 

Why the county decided to include bike lanes

Our goal is to help everyone, including people who need extra time in the crosswalk, to get across the road safely. We added bike lanes along with curb extensions and bright yellow flashing signs to help slow down traffic and protect people from the danger of getting hit by a moving vehicle.

Our decision-making process focused on saving lives and listening to what the community had to say. We also paid attention to concerns about parking, especially from businesses in downtown White Center.

During the early design phase in winter and spring 2022, we gave the community two options. One included bike lanes and about the same amount of parking as now. The other option had more parking but no bike lanes. Both options got almost the same level of support, but more people said they wanted bike lanes. Because of this, and advice from traffic safety experts, we decided to add bike lanes to the project.

In July and August 2024, the project design was nearly finished. We held another project survey to make sure residents, workers, and business owners were aware of the project, and to see if our decision to include bike lanes still met the needs of the community. The feedback showed that just over half supported bike lanes in both directions. This matched what we heard in 2022.

While surveys give us helpful information, they aren't always perfect. Since our main goal is to keep everyone safe, and bike lanes have been shown to reduce accidents and make traffic flow better, we decided to move forward with the current design that includes bike lanes.

What we heard

There is strong support for slowing traffic and making this busy road safer for everyone—drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and scooter riders. Additionally, residents expressed the need for more on-street parking, especially in front of businesses without parking lots.  

Concerns were also raised about ensuring long-standing residents and businesses maintain a strong sense of belonging in the area.  

What we are doing

This project gives us an opportunity to make 16th Avenue SW safer for everyone. The county has decided to proceed with the current design, which includes bike lanes.  

Bike lanes, along with the other pedestrian safety improvements, help reduce the chances of accidents between vehicles and people on foot, bicycle or scooter.  Bike lanes also keep bicycles off the main road, which helps traffic flow more smoothly and safely.