Rainier Avenue South, east of 54th Avenue South

To improve pedestrian access across Rainier Avenue South, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) removed the unsignalized marked crosswalk on Rainier east of 54th Avenue South.

SDOT completed a technical analysis of the crosswalk and determined that it no longer met federally established guidelines that seek to ensure pedestrians are crossing the street in the safest locations.

The alternatives considered for improving this marked crosswalk were reducing the number of travel lanes or installing a new traffic signal. However, given the importance of Rainier Avenue South as a motor vehicle travel route, SDOT could not recommend a reduction in the number of travel lanes. This location 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 the marked crosswalk in October 2006.

The preferred pedestrian crossing on this section of Rainier Avenue South is now at the signalized intersection of Rainier Avenue South and Seward Park Avenue North/56th Avenue North.