Take action for 3rd Ave NW

[NW Greenways]

Many of us know that 3rd Ave NW is a dangerous street that divides the north Greenwood neighborhood. SDOT made some great improvements last year to key crossings south of 85th and north of 125th on 3rd, including speed tables on both sides of each crossing that have dramatically slowed traffic. But the stretch of 3rd Ave NW between these two areas, 85th-125th, which includes Viewlands Elementary and the busy Holman Road intersection, has not been improved. The kids on the weekly bike bus to and from Viewlands Elementary have to navigate this dangerous stretch of 3rd, which is unacceptable.

Now is our chance to speak up for this forgotten section of 3rd.

I've included a bit of background on everything that is - and is NOT - happening to improve 3rd Ave NW. If you'd like to skip the background and get right to the action - emailing D5 Councilmember Debora Juarez - scroll down to the bottom. Emailing her office only takes a minute and will have a huge impact on the decision making process. A few coordinated neighbors is all it takes to get stuff moving around here.

Background

Earlier this year, NW Greenways and a group of neighbors and volunteers reached out to SDOT to ask about improving the forgotten stretch of 3rd Ave NW between N 85th St and Viewlands Elementary School. It turns out SDOT already has plans for new crossings in this section. We found out that later this year SDOT’s Crossing Improvements program is installing new marked crosswalks and painted daylighting (i.e., hatch marks to pull parking back from the intersection) on 3rd Ave NW at NW 100th St, NW 95th St, NW 90th St, and potentially at NW 86th St. In fact, NW 95th Street will actually become an all way stop, which should slow down traffic quite a bit.

What is unclear, however, is whether these new crossings will include speed cushions like we see further south and north of us. It's also disappointing that SDOT has no plans to improve the Holman & 3rd intersection. This is a complicated area, since NW 101st Street intersects 3rd basically right at Holman, making the intersection dangerous for people biking and walking. NW Greenways came up with a few ideas for making this intersection and planned crossings safer (see attached proposal). We submitted these ideas to Councilmember Juarez for consideration for the newly created District Transportation Fund. Each council district in the city has $2 million to spend on community-generated street safety projects. Councilmember Juarez has until June 1st to decide which projects to fund.

Updates

After sharing our proposal with her office, Councilmember Jaurez submitted to SDOT a project idea for crossing improvements at 3rd Ave NW and Holman Rd NW. SDOT has reviewed the project and shared the cost estimate with Councilmember Jaurez's office. The next step is for City Council members to select which projects they would like to fund by June 1. According to SDOT, 3rd Ave NW improvements would be planned for 2027 if funded.

 

In addition, SDOT's Safe Routes to School program is now evaluating speed cushions on 3^rd north and south of Viewlands Elementary as well as some minor improvements to the 3^rd Ave NW & Holman intersection.

Take Action

We need as many neighbors as possible to contact Councilmember Juarez and tell her to prioritize improving the biking and walking connections to Viewlands Elementary along 3rd Ave NW. Emailing her is easy (calling or writing a letter also work!) and doesn't need to be too serious. A simple message like "Please prioritize improving 3rd Ave NW - especially the Holman Road intersection - because it impacts me and my family in the following ways..." would make a huge difference.

Email her:

Debora Juarez, Seattle City Councilmember | District 5 - debora...@seattle.gov

Call her:

(206) 684-8805

Write to her:

Seattle City Council
600 4th Ave
Seattle, WA 98104

Thank you for speaking up for street safety!