N 175th St. Corridor Project
INFORMATION
Someone cut down the orange ribbons that were tied on the N 175th trees to be cut down.
Yellow ribbons were tied to trees that will be impacted by construction. Residents understood what is planned and emailed Council.
Description
The City of Shoreline’s goal is to improve safety for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists along N 175th Street from Stone Ave N east to I-5 on-ramp. This project will widen the roadway, construct pedestrian and cyclist improvements along the full length of the corridor, and improve the intersection at N 175th St and Meridian Ave N. This project is considered by the City as a high priority. Phase 1 of this project, which is funded and at 90% design, includes the intersection at N 175th and Meridian Ave east to I-5.
The City states in its Transportation Improvement Plan Project #11. Page 8a-45 that “Improvements include reconstruction of the existing street to provide two traffic lanes in each direction with medians and turn pockets; curb, gutter, and sidewalk with planter strip where feasible; bicycle lanes (portions integrated into the sidewalks); illumination; landscaping; and retaining walls where required. Intersections with high accident rates will be improved as part of this project.” Retaining walls will be required because the rockeries on both north and south sides of N 175th, just east of Trader Joe’s, will be coming down.
More information is provided at the City website project link . Link to the staff study presented to City Council on 2/1/21.
Council discussed the N 175th Project on June 3, 2024 (over 200 written public comments are posted to this agenda page)
Staff Report, June 3, 2024: N 175th
Funding
Per Staff Report, June 3, 2024: “As design proceeded, it was determined that a significant seismic event could cause failure of the soils in the vicinity of Ronald Bog affecting the roadway. The City applied for a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant for seismic mitigation/road work adjacent to the susceptible areas near Ronald Bog and including the 175th Street/Meridian Avenue intersection. Staff were recently informed that about $8.8 million in BRIC grant funding was federally obligated March 14, 2024, with about another $1.47 million partial state match provided.” This grant, in combination with City funds, will fund Phase 1 of the construction project.
“This project has also been identified as a TIF Project. The City used TIF funds to purchase the four preliminary parcels. With most TIF now committed for the next few years, finding other funding sources will be critical. Total project costs listed in the TIP are expected to increase with updated design and cost estimates. About $32 million is considered as secured through grant, TIF, and utility franchise agreements. With the amount still unfunded, the project team will need to develop a strategy and work with the State to segment this corridor into further phases for construction. This project will prove a challenge to fund over the next many years.”
The design of this project was funded through a federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) grant and Transportation Impact Fees (TIF). Transportation Impact Fees are local city fees. Phase 1 is funded. (See below.) The remaining sections of the N 175th corridor project are at 60% design and are not yet funded.
PHASE 1 FUNDING (provided by the project manager on May 6, 2024):
Save Shoreline Trees Concerns
Loss of Trees.
According to the Arborist Report for N 175th, the City is planning to remove 274 trees from Stone Ave N east to I-5. Per Save Shoreline Trees review, 125 of these are evergreen trees. See Draft Arborist Report - Inventory and Assessment Report, December 9, 2022 and Tree Impact Memo December 22, 2022. For visibility, orange ties have been tied on trees that will be cut down; yellow ribbons are tied to trees that will be impacted by construction. (Ties have been removed.)
These trees work 24/7 now to clean our air, control erosion, manage stormwater, provide shade and cool air temperatures and provide a home of small birds and small wildlife.
Loss of Rockeries. The current plan will require the removal of all rockeries along N 175th and the trees on top of the rockeries. The south rockery is lined with many tall conifers.
Involve the arborist at initial planning. Trees benefit our health and well-being. The six Austrian pines on the north side of N 175th, and the south rockery lined with many tall conifers, are slated for removal in the City plan, and are examples why the arborist report should have been considered by Council and the public before the project proceeded to 60% design. The N 175th design was at 60% in 2021. This delay in communication to the public means the public could not voice concerns about tree removal. The public was not informed about N 145th Phase 1 and I-5 projects (317 trees removed), or about N 175th (removal of 274 trees planned) until late October 2023.
Proposed sidewalks along N 175th are too wide.
City design concepts with width of lanes, sidewalks, bike lanes, etc:
PHASE 1: Meridian Ave N east to Interstate 5
FUTURE PHASE: Stone Ave N east to Wallingford Ave N
FUTURE PHASE: Wallingford Ave N east to Meridian Ave N
TIMELINE
City Planning: Public open houses and outreach surveys 2020 - 2021. No mention of extensive tree removal.
Design approved by the City Council on February 1, 2021, prior to arborist report.
The 60% design plans for N 175th are dated May 28, 2021.
Council approval of the Climate Emergency Resolution 494 on August 15, 2022. See Section 1.
Arborist Report is dated December 9, 2022. The Public Works Department was aware there would be a major removal of trees.
October 26, 2023, Public Works announcement to the public that 274 trees would be removed for the N 175th corridor renovation project.
Save Shoreline Trees “Stop the Chop” Rally on Sunday, May 19, 2024.
Shoreline City Council reviewed the N 175th Project on June 3, 2024, directing the City Manager to review the design.
City Council walked the N 175th project with project staff and consultants the week of August 5, 2024.
CITY CONTACTS
Engineering Manager Capital Projects, Leif Johansen ljohansen@shorelinewa.gov 206-801-2489
City Engineer Liz Kelly ekelly@shorelinewa.gov 206-801-2406
Public Works Director Tricia Juhnke tjuhnke@shorelinewa.gov 206-801-2401
City Manager Bristol Ellington bellington@shorelinewa.gov 206-801-2213