On Monday, the Seattle City Council accepted $6,632.52 in grant funding to plan right-of-way beautification and safety improvements as part of the RapidRide H Line project. The improvements would be targeted for four stretches of the corridor in the Delridge area. Last week, the city council also formally landmarked the Old Spaghetti Factory building.
RapidRide H Line beautification of Delridge Way SW
The Delridge Neighborhood Development Association provided the grant funding to the city with a desire for median plantings and curb bulbs to be designed and constructed at key locations along Delridge Way SW. The association is targeting retail districts in Andover, Youngstown, Brandon, and Orchard as a means to enhance community identity. These districts fall along a two-mile corridor of Delridge Way SW, approximately from SW Andover St to SW Orchard St.
The medians will largely occupy space currently used for center lane turn pockets. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) would install a variety of plantings within the median to provide groundcover and trees. Installation of the landscaping features will offer a variety of benefits besides character identity of the community.
Planting medians of the kind envisioned generally reduce stormwater and localized heat island effects while cleaning water and air. They also help reduce speeds and collisions, which ultimately improve the comfort of the pedestrian and the public realm–a win-win for residents, bus riders, and local businesses.
SDOT is also asked to install several curb improvements for pedestrians and bus riders. These will largely be focused near key intersection locations, which should also reduce speed and collisions.
The conceptual median and curb bulb locations are proposed as follows:
Construction of the RapidRide H Line is expected to begin next year and service launch following in late 2021.
