Bicycle and Pedestrian System

The Bicycle and Pedestrian System asset class serves pedestrians and bicyclists and encourages walking and bicycling for transportation and recreation. It includes the 7 following assets: Bicycle Racks, Kiosks, Marked Crosswalks, Sidewalks, Stairways, Street furnishings, and Trails.

Accessible Seattle For Everyone

SDOT’s Curb Ramp and Accessible Route Planner, located at seattle.gov, is intended to help pedestrians plan routes using the location, condition, and slope of curb ramps and sidewalks.

Bridges & Structures

The Bridges and Structures asset class consists of the transportation structures that are associated with the street network and a few one-of-a-kind roadway structures. It includes the following 7 assets: Air Raid Siren Tower, Areaway Street Walls, Bridges, Bridge Hydrant Vaults, Elevator, Retaining Walls, Tunnels.

Did you know?

You might know this as the Seattle Underground! Following the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, streets in the Pioneer Square area were raised during reconstruction, creating the Seattle Underground as we know it today.

Channelization

The Channelization asset class consists of pavement markings, other than crosswalks, and delineator posts that define usage of the city streets and direct the flow of traffic. It includes 1 asset: Pavement Markings.

Why it's important

Lines and markings typically have a life-span of 3 - 5 years before they need to be repaved. SDOT is currently experimenting with alternative lane markings such as green bike boxes and red bus lanes that will reduce the cost and frequency of maintenance.

Intelligent Transportation System

Intelligent Transportation System, or ITS, includes all of the assets that are either electrically- or solar powered and comprise the system that regulates, controls, communicates and manages the flow of traffic. It includes the following 10 assets: Beacon, Bluetooth Wi-Fi Readers, Camera Assemblies, Communication Network, Counters, Dynamic Message Signs, Network Hubs, Radar Speed Signs, Transportation Operations Center, Traffic Signal Assemblies.

Why it's important

The ITS asset class includes assets with life-spans from 8 years to 50+, however since assets in this class are newer a good maintenance strategy can expand these life-spans and reduce maintenance/replacement costs.

Parking Payment Devices

Parking payment devices collect fees for parking on public property or in the Right-of-Way (ROW). The City of Seattle uses on-street payment devices to manage parking in highly utilized areas to create the turnover needed to support a vibrant city. It includes 1 asset: Pay Station w/ signage.

Why it's important

Paid parking plays a vital role in ensuring popular areas such as downtown have parking avaliable.

Pavement

The Pavement System asset class consists of the surface, base, sub-base, and subgrade of Seattle’s street network. It includes 2 assets: Arterial Pavement and Non-Arterial Pavement.

Why it's important

As a roadway becomes more degraded and in need of maintenance, the cost to the city of each car passing over that road increases dramatically. Factor in that evidence suggests that the increasing use of heavy vehicles on Seattle’s arterials is accelerating a decline in pavement quality on arterials, and it becomes clear that maintaining our roads can save a ton of money.

Real Property

SDOT owns buildings that support transportation services and buildings indirectly acquired through the ROW acquisition process for capital projects. It includes 3 assets: Buildings & Yards, Parcel, and Shoreline Street Ends (ROW).

King Street Station

One example of property SDOT is responsbile for is King Street Station, which served as the major transportation hub of the city in the early 20th century, and serves as a hub for Sound Transit trains today

Signs

A Sign Assembly is a static message board that conveys essential information to road users, pedestrians and bicyclists about how to negotiate city streets and trails. It includes 1 asset: Sign Assemblies.

Traffic Safety Structures and Devices

The Traffic Safety Structures & Devices asset class includes all of the SDOT assets whose primary purpose is to provide an acceptably safe transportation system. It includes 8 assets: Chicanes, Crash Cushions, Guardrails, Median Islands, Speed Cushions, Speed Dots, Speed Humps, and Traffic Circles.

Why it's important

Besides increasing the safety of cars on our roadways, traffic circles increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in the neighborhoods where they are present.

Transit

Transit is a new Asset Class for the 2015 Status & Condition Report. It combines assets from other classes that specifically support transit services within the City of Seattle including: Historic Transit Shelters, Real Time Transit Information Signs, Streetcar System, and Transit Island Platforms.

Historic Transit Shelters

SDOT maintains a number of Transit Shelters built before King County Metro took over Bus operations in 1973. You can learn more about preservation efforts here.

Urban Forest

The City defines the Urban Forest as publicly and privately owned and maintained vegetation that is growing within the designated street Right-of-Way (ROW) within the corporate limits of the City of Seattle. SDOT has jurisdiction over the entire Urban Forest that exists in the ROW, however the department only owns a small portion of this Urban Forest. The remainder is privately owned and maintained. Urban Forest asset class includes 3 assets: Irrigation, Landscaped Areas, and Trees.

Urban Forest at Work

According to extensive industry research, street trees provide many benefits to the urban environment and are a critical part of the transportation system: From a transportation perspective, street trees serve as traffic calming devices along arterial corridors, and also serve as a buffer between pedestrian and vehicular traffic. A tree-lined street is more attractive to bicyclists and pedestrians and promotes these modes of transportation.