WHAT WE HEARD FROM YOU

In spring 2019, we talked with property owners, local businesses, Meridian Park Elementary School, community organizations, and people who travel along the corridor about the project and their priorities. In addition to your feedback, we will use several criteria to evaluate the corridor and intersection design concepts and refine them into a single preferred design concept. The evaluation criteria are based on the feedback we heard during the first phase of engagement.

Evaluation Criteria

You will see these evaluation criteria throughout this online engagement and survey site. These evaluation criteria are:

Pedestrian walkability (sidewalks, separation from different modes of travel, ADA accessibility, wheelchair ramps, crosswalks, pedestrian crossing signals)

Bus transportation (travel speed, ease of use, timeliness, bus stop improvements)

Bike facilities (continuous bike pathways, separation from different modes of travel)

Traffic flow (reducing congestion, ability to make turns safely)

Transportation safety (controlling speeds, reducing collisions)

Landscaping (type and location of trees, shrubs, and other plantings)

Sense of place We will determine potential streetscape design to create a sense of place (art, pedestrian lighting, special site furnishings, special paving, and wall treatments) elements later in the design process.

Community members sharing what street improvement topics are most important to them at our open house in spring 2019.

We will also consider some additional items as we refine the corridor and intersection design concepts into a single preferred design concept. We’ll weigh the tradeoffs of each criteria and your feedback to determine a preferred design concept. In winter 2020/2021, we will reach out to share how and why we selected the preliminary preferred design concept and gather any additional feedback from you. Other items we will consider include:

• Community impact to residents, properties, and recent sidewalk improvements near Meridian Park Elementary
• Stormwater and other environmental impacts to Ronald Bog Park
• Overall project cost, including initial construction and continued maintenance

We evaluated a design concept that completes the sidewalk network but includes no other improvements to the corridor. This design did not address community feedback, which indicated more should be done to improve conditions on the corridor related to safety. This design also was not in compliance with our Complete Streets Policy because it did not include bike facilities and therefore will not move forward in this evaluation. Our evaluation did help us determine that impacts to properties are similar, regardless of the design concept chosen.

We used your feedback and our analyses to develop draft design concepts. We will improve some corridor features regardless of the design concept we select. All design concepts will have the following corridor improvements:

• Completion of the continuous sidewalk along both sides of N 175th Street.
• Longer turn lanes onto southbound Meridian Avenue N and I-5 N to improve the flow of traffic.
• Improved visibility of the crosswalk at Wallingford Avenue N with a pedestrian activated push-button signal.
• Shared-use path between Meridian Avenue N and I-5, along the north and south sides of N 175th Street for people walking, using a wheelchair, pushing a stroller, and biking to maintain safety for all users. We are exploring two similar options for this segment and will decide which option to pursue based on discussions with the Washington State Department of Transportation and considerations for impacts to Meridian Park Elementary and Ronald Bog Park. All options have:
  • A shared-use path where people biking, walking, pushing strollers, and using wheelchairs share an off-street path for travel. The shared-use path width may vary due to impacts on Ronald Bog Park and private properties.
  • Opportunities for trees in tree pits in the shared-use path or as a landscape buffer
  • The same lane configuration
• Maintain the existing lane configuration of two travel lanes in each direction
• Incorporation of the City’s plans to develop bike lanes on Meridian Avenue N into the N 175th Street and Meridian Avenue N intersection designs. You can learn more about the Meridian Avenue N bike lanes in the City of Shoreline Bicycle Plan.
• Landscaping (e.g., trees, shrubs, groundcover, and other plants) and streetscape design (how we design our physical environment to create a sense of place) opportunities on the corridor, including:
  • Planted landscape buffers between the roadway and sidewalks/shared-use paths to provide physical separation between people walking, using a wheelchair, pushing strollers, and biking and people driving, reinforcing city goals for safety and walkability
  • Hardscapes and trees in the roadway medians like the example to the right
  • City-approved plants that are low maintenance and sustainable
  • Our goal to protect and save existing trees where possible
  • We will ask for your feedback and determine these elements later in the design process.

Roadway median with hardscape and trees.

Traffic at the N 175th Street and Meridian Avenue N intersection looking west.

Local shopper walking east on N 175th Street on the limited sidewalk.

Corridor design concept A completes the sidewalk network with a shared-use path, improves transportation safety, and has opportunity to improve landscape character. This design concept is depicted in the cross section below. View a full map of corridor design concept A (PDF 10 MB).

• 13-foot wide shared-use path for people walking, using a wheelchair, pushing a stroller, and biking on the north and south sides of the street
• 6-foot wide landscaped median between eastbound and westbound lanes of traffic to improve safety for people driving
• 5-foot wide landscaped buffers between shared-use paths and traffic lanes to improve safety for all users
• Estimated $37 to $45 million for design, right of way, and property acquisition and construction

How does corridor design concept A measure up to the evaluation criteria?

We evaluated this design concept against the criteria you ranked in spring 2019 and confirmed in the What We Heard From You section above.

We expect an improvement from today's conditions for this design concept for all evaluation criteria. We have outlined the low-, medium-, and high-level improvements below.

Corridor design concept A – Shared-use path

Check out our ranking for corridor design concept B as well:

Corridor design concept B – Buffered bike lane

Corridor design concept B completes the sidewalk network, adds buffered bike lanes, and improves safety between people using the sidewalk and the roadway with a landscaped buffer. This design concept is depicted in the cross section below. View a full map of corridor design concept B (PDF 9 MB).

• 8-foot wide sidewalk on the north and south sides of the street for people walking, using a wheelchair, and pushing a stroller
• 5-foot wide buffered bike lane on the north and south sides of the street
• 5-foot wide landscaped buffer between the bike lane and the sidewalk on both sides of the street to provide separation between people using the sidewalk and biking
• Estimated $41 to $48 million for design, right of way and property acquisition and construction

How does corridor design concept B measure up to the evaluation criteria?

We evaluated this design concept against the criteria you ranked in spring 2019 and confirmed in the What We Heard From You section above.

We expect an improvement from today's conditions for this design concept for all evaluation criteria. We have outlined the low-, medium-, and high-level improvements below.

Corridor design concept B – Buffered bike lane

Check out our ranking for corridor design concept A as well:

Corridor design concept A – Shared-use path

• Two-lane roundabout with four entry/exit points
• Four hardscaped medians
• Opportunities for public art or placemaking in the center island
• Enhanced intersection efficiency compared to both today’s intersection and the signalized intersection option outside of the PM peak hour
• Shorter crossing distance with midway refuge for people crossing the street
• Pedestrian-activated flashing beacons at all crosswalks
• People biking transition to sidewalks prior to approaching the roundabout
• Requires reconstruction of the newly constructed shared-use paths around Meridian Park Elementary

We have also incorporated the City’s plans to develop bike lanes on Meridian Avenue N into these intersection designs. You can learn more about the Meridian Avenue N bike lanes in the City of Shoreline Bicycle Plan.

How does the roundabout design concept measure up to the evaluation criteria?

We evaluated this design concept against the criteria you ranked in spring 2019 and confirmed in the What We Heard From You section above.

We expect an improvement from today's conditions for this design concept for all evaluation criteria. We have outlined the low-, medium-, and high-level improvements below.

Roundabout intersection design concept

Check out our ranking for the signalized intersection design concept as well:

Signalized intersection design concept

• Improves vehicle capacity over today’s condition and provides consistent travel paths for people walking, using a wheelchair, pushing a stroller, biking, and driving
• Provides a longer westbound turn lane onto Meridian Avenue N to increase capacity for people driving
• Incorporates the newly constructed shared-use paths around Meridian Park Elementary without requiring reconstruction

We have also incorporated the City’s plans to develop bike lanes on Meridian Avenue N into these intersection designs. You can learn more about the Meridian Avenue N bike lanes in the City of Shoreline Bicycle Plan.

How does the improved signalized intersection design concept measure up to the evaluation criteria?

We evaluated this design concept against the criteria you ranked in spring 2019 and confirmed in the What We Heard From You section above.

We expect an improvement from today's conditions for this design concept for all evaluation criteria. We have outlined the low-, medium-, and high-level improvements below.

Signalized intersection design concept

Check out our ranking for the roundabout intersection design concept as well:

Roundabout intersection design concept