For more than 30 years, King County has focused on improving walking routes for students living in unincorporated areas. In many cases, the projects are small in scale, but the payoff is huge – making the walk safer for kids.

As summer winds down, the Roads Division is wrapping up its 2004 slate of 11 school pathway projects. Each year, King County invests more than $1 million in sidewalks, paved pathways, and other pedestrian-safety features near schools in the unincorporated areas. In addition to enhancing safety, the projects can also make the walk easier and more convenient, producing the added benefit of encouraging a healthier lifestyle.

“Our goal is to separate pedestrian and vehicle traffic, upgrade older school pathways, add paved waiting areas at school bus stops, and fill in the missing links in a neighborhood’s walkway system,” said Michael Meagher, who has coordinated the county’s School Pathway Program for more than 20 years.

Since late spring, Roads crews have been working on the following school projects: 

• Thoreau Elementary, Finn Hill – Built a separated pathway on 84th Avenue Northeast between Northeast 141st Street and Northeast 139th Street;
• Mark Twain Elementary, North Rose Hill – Created a new gravel walkway on Northeast 104th Street between 134th Avenue Northeast and 136th Avenue Northeast;
• Tyee Middle School, Eastgate – Paved an existing separated walkway on 138th Avenue Southeast between Southeast 40th Street and Southeast Allen Road; also paved a bus stop waiting area on Southeast Allen Road at 136th Avenue Southeast;
• Kentridge High School – Filled in the missing link in a sidewalk segment on 124th Avenue Southeast between Southeast 202nd Place and Southeast 208th Street;
• Cougar Ridge Elementary, Cougar Mountain – Completed the sidewalk on 164thAvenue Southeast between Southeast 45th Way and Southeast 46th Place;
• Fall City Elementary – Worked with the school district to separate vehicle and pedestrian traffic near the school entrance;
• Springbrook Elementary, northeast Kent – Upgraded the existing pathway on Southeast 204th Street between 100th Avenue Southeast and 106th Avenue Southeast;
• Maple Hills Elementary, southwest Issaquah – Worked with the school district to revamp the school driveway and extend the county pathway on 204th Avenue Southeast;
• Lakeland Elementary, Federal Way – Built a walkway to link-up with an existing crosswalk on 32nd Avenue South; and
• Evergreen High School and Cascade Middle School, Burien – Created a walkway on 10th Avenue Southwest between Southwest 112th Street and Southwest 114th Street.

The School Pathway Program is a collaborative effort between King County and the county’s 14 public school districts and dozens of accredited private schools. Each spring, the process starts when the districts submit a list of potential pathway projects based on their prioritized needs. Projects are selected based on the priority rating given by the school district, cost, location, size and feasibility.

 “We work very closely with the school districts. Together, we put in a lot of creativity and coordination into finding solutions for all sorts of different situations,” said Meagher.