Planning study news
This environmental justice assessment is for a project on State Route 900/Martin Luther King Jr. Way South in the unincorporated Skyway-West Hill community. This busy roadway between Renton and Seattle serves drivers, freight, public transit, bikers and walkers. The section of SR 900 from 58th Avenue South to South 135th Street splits the Skyway community in two, making it hard to travel safely in between.
This project will construct biking and walking facilities that allow vulnerable users to access transit and community destinations. It will include a shared used path, pedestrian lighting, ADA Ramps, bus stop improvements, intersection improvements, new pedestrian crossings and roadway treatments to slow traffic and discourage speeding. These features will reduce the level of stress people feel while biking and walking in the area.
Purpose
Washington's environmental justice law, known as the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act, requires us to conduct environmental justice assessments when considering significant agency actions, like this project.
This environmental justice assessment will help us understand the potential environmental and health impacts of the project, specifically on vulnerable populations and overburdened communities in the Skyway-West Hill community.
This stretch of SR 900 does not have separated facilities for those who walk or ride a bike and has few signalized crosswalks. Most of this part of SR 900 is bordered by residential neighborhoods and apartment complexes. As part of this EJA, we will engage with those residents who have limited options to walk, bike, or roll to transit stops and community markets and destinations. A community profile will be completed for areas within 0.5 miles of the project area. This community profile will be used to identify overburdened communities and vulnerable populations for engagement.
