S Henderson St School Safety Project
May 8, 2026
What's Happening Now?
We're improving crossings on Henderson and upgrading the existing bike lanes to a two-way protected bike lane on the north side of the street.
People will be able to more comfortably walk, bike, an scooter between the Chief Sealth Trail and Be'er Shiva Park and we're able to retain most parking on both sides of S Henderson St.
2025: We marked new crosswalks next to South Shore K-8 at 48th Ave S.
Spring 2026:
- Install new audible pedestrian pus buttons and protected turn signals at Renton Ave S/S Henderson St and Rainier Ave S/S Henderson St
- Repave part of the Chief Sealth Trail and trim trees and vegetation for better visibility and clearance
- Install two new concrete median islands east of Rainier Ave S to calm traffic and make it easier to turn in and out of the shopping center
- Remove and replace the existing speed cushions between MLK Jr Way S and Seward Park Ave S
- Install two new bus and bike platforms at Renton Ave S and Rainier Ave S
- Update street striping and add safety features, including a two-way proteced bike/scooter lane on the north side of Henderson
- Reduce the speed limit to 20 mph on S Henderson St which will better match the updated street design
This graphic shows what new bus islands will look like at the westbound bus stop on S Henderson St west of Rainier Ave S.
What do two-way protected bike lanes look like?
Concrete curbs will separate the bike lane from cars.
Project Overview
We’re building safety improvements along S Henderson St between Martin Luther King Jr Way S and Seward Park Ave S to support students to walk and bike to school and to make the street safer and more inviting for walking, biking, and taking transit.
This includes near-term improvements such as speed cushions, crossing beacons, and art as well as longer-term bike connections.
The current crosswalk at S Henderson St at Rainier Ave S
Project Area Map
A map of the project area, showing S Henderson St between Martin Luther King Jr Way S and Seward Park Ave S
Project Background
S Henderson St connects people to Rainier Beach High School, South Shore PK-8, Alan T. Sugiyama High School, Dunlap Elementary, the Rainier Beach Pool and Community Center, community organizations, apartment buildings and homes, Rainier Valley Food Bank, local restaurants, businesses, and the Rainier Beach Library. Several buses, including Route 7, 9, 107, and the future RapidRide Route R, travel on S Henderson St. It’s also an important route for people biking as well as freight traffic traveling to Rainier Valley destinations and businesses.
Community-based organizations, like the Rainier Beach Action Coalition and Rainier Beach Link2Lake, are also working hard to beautify the community and improve access to Lake Washington’s waterfront for residents of Rainier Beach.
S Henderson St is a Vision Zero priority because there have been 71 crashes reported to police between 2018 and 2022 on this street. This includes 5 serious injuries, 8 crashes involving people walking/rolling, and 2 crashes involving people biking. The average speed on S Henderson St was 33 mph, which was above the 25 mph limit. Average daily traffic volume on S Henderson St is 9,500 vehicles.
In spring 2023, we installed speed cushions on S Henderson St to improve safety while we work on longer-term improvements. We’ve seen a reduction in speeds since installing the speed cushions, but more is needed.
Vision Zero is Seattle’s plan to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030. Together with Safe Routes to School, this project will work with local Rainier Beach community groups and schools to be responsive to the community’s vision for the street.
Families cross at the push button flashing beacon (S Henderson St at 50th Ave S) by South Shore PK-8
Schedule
2022 - 2023
Installed speed cushions to slow down people driving
Installed push button crossing beacons at S Henderson St and 53rd Ave S, and S Henderson St and 52nd Ave S by Rainier Beach High School
2024 - 2025 (expected)
Installed push button crossing beacons at S Henderson St and 50th Ave S and "no turn on red" signs at Rainier Ave S and S Henderson St by South Shore PK-8
Installed public art along S Henderson St (design led by Rainier Beach Action Coalition- more art to come)
2026
Build a protected bike lane on S Henderson St between Martin Luther King Jr Way S and Seward Park Ave S
Upgrade the traffic signals at Rainier/Henderson and Renton/Henderson to better prioritize people walking
Reduce the speed limit to 20 mph on S Henderson St which will better match the updated street design
Related Projects
- King County Metro’s RapidRide R Line
- SDOT’s Bike to Books
- SDOT’s Rainier Ave S Bus Lanes
- SDOT’s Rainier Improvements
- SDOT’s Route 7 – Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor
- Seattle Public Schools’ Rainier Beach High School redevelopment
Funding
Funding for this project comes from the School Safety Traffic and Pedestrian Improvement Fund through Safe Routes to School as well as the Vision Zero program.
Materials
Project fact sheet (March 2024)
Project flyer (March 2024)
Pilot Target Zero Smart Sign fact sheet (March 2024)
Translations
We're making S Henderson St in Rainier Beach safer. Want to know how this affects you? Call us at (206) 900-8724. Free language help is available!
Estamos haciendo que South Henderson Street sea más segura en el vecindario de Rainier Beach. ¿Se pregunta cómo le afecta esto? Llámenos al (206) 900-8724. ¡Ofrecemos servicios de idiomas gratuitos!
我們正在讓 Rainier Beach 社區的南 Henderson 街變得更加安全。想知道這對您有何影響？請致電 (206) 900-8724 與我們聯絡。我們提供免費語言服務！
我们正在让 Rainier Beach 社区的南 Henderson 街变得更加安全。想知道这对您有何影响？请致电 (206) 900-8724 与我们联络。我们提供免费语言服务！
በRainier Beach ውስጥ ያለውን S Henderson St የደህንነት ጥበቃው የበለጠ እንዲሆን እያደረግን ነው። ይህ እርስዎን እንዴት እንደሚነካዎት ማወቅ ይፈልጋሉ? በ (206) 900-8724 ይደውሉልን።
Waxaan ka dhigaynaa South Henderson Street mid ammaan ah xaafadda Rainier Beach. Ma la yaaban tahay sida ay tani kuu saamaynayso? Fadlan naga soo wac (206) 900-8724. Waxaan bixinaa adeegyo luqadeed oo bilaash ah!
Chúng tôi đang làm cho Phố South Henderson trở nên an toàn hơn trong khu vực Rainier Beach. Tự hỏi điều này ảnh hưởng đến bạn như thế nào? Hãy gọi cho chúng tôi theo số (206) 900-8724. Chúng tôi cung cấp dịch vụ ngôn ngữ miễn phí!
ኣብ ከባቢ ረይነር ቢች ንጎደና ሳውዝ ሄንደርሰን ውሑስ ንገብሮ ኣለና። እዚ ብኸመይ ከም ዝጸልወካ ትሓስብ? ብቑጽሪ ስልኪ (206) 900-8724 ደውሉልና። ብነጻ ኣገልግሎት ቋንቋ ንህብ!
Ginagawa naming mas ligtas ang South Henderson Street sa kapitbahayan ng Rainier Beach. Nagtataka kung paano ito nakakaapekto sa iyo? Mangyaring tawagan kami sa (206) 900-8724. Nagbibigay kami ng mga libreng serbisyo sa wika!