Boren Ave Between Yesler Way and Union St

To improve pedestrian access across Boren Avenue , the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) made improvements at six locations between E Yesler Way and Union Street .

SDOT:

• Upgraded the existing signal at Union Street
• Installed a new pedestrian crosswalk signal at Spring Street
• Removed a marked crosswalk at Boren Avenue and Columbia Street
• Installed a new marked crosswalk with a median island at Terrace Street
• Installed a pedestrian crossing across the southeast leg of Boren Avenue and Broadway, providing a more direct signalized connection for pedestrians
• Removed a marked crosswalk at Boren Avenue and Spruce Street (stairway)

The removed crosswalks no longer met federally established guidelines that seek to ensure pedestrians are crossing the street in the safest locations. The alternatives considered for improving these locations were reducing the number of travel lanes or installing a new traffic signal. However, given the importance of Boren Avenue as a motor vehicle travel route, SDOT could not recommend a reduction in the number of travel lanes. These locations also failed to meet federal standards for the installation of a pedestrian signal, which require counts of 100 pedestrians an hour for a four-hour period or 190 pedestrians in a single hour. Consequently, SDOT removed these marked crosswalks in October 2006

As a result of these changes, the preferred pedestrian crossings of Boren Avenue at Columbia St and Spruce St are now at the nearest signalized intersection, Marion Street and Broadway, respectively.