
Construction is expected to begin in early April on new sidewalks for 54th Avenue West between 220th and 223rd Streets Southwest after the Mountlake Terrace City Council approved the project’s contract on Monday. The work should be completed sometime this summer.
The project calls for 1,170 feet of sidewalk, gutter and curb to be constructed on 54th Avenue West, along with 10 sidewalk ADA ramps and new traffic signs.
Kamins Construction of Bothell was selected over three other firms to do the work for $236,300, a bid that was the lowest of any other submitted and about 26 percent below city estimates of what the project would cost.
The city was awarded a Safe Routes to School grant of $330,304 from the Federal Highway Administration in 2011 to be used for engineering, education and enforcement. The 54th Avenue West sidewalk project falls under the approved engineering category; teaching and the promotion of bicycle safety currently underway at Mountlake Terrace Elementary School satisfies the education requirement for the grant. The Mountlake Terrace Police Department is handling the enforcement requirement with targeting speed monitoring around Mountlake Terrace Elementary and participating in the bicycle safety program.
How does the 29th ranked city sidewalk project (the one in this article) get selected over the 7th ranked sidewalk project (52nd street between 22nd and 224th) as mentioned in the City Transportation Plan? They both address “Safe Routes to School” for Mountlake Terrace Elementary School, but the 52nd Street project is cheaper and a higher priority in the City’s Transportation Plan.