"Reedville Trail street crossing with rapid rectangular flashing beacon to the left, crosswalk looking north down the trail in center and blue sky with clouds behind the trail and greenery.""The ADA Public Right-of-way Transition Plan Phase I looks at the following types of facilities:

  • Curb ramps
  • Pedestrian islands

 

Future phases of the Transition Plan will look at:

  • Sidewalks
  • Traffic signals
  • Pedestrian push buttons
  • Railroad crossings
  • Transit amenities

 

We estimate that there are about 5,452 intersections in the County's road network.

This means an about 25,590 curb ramps in the County's public right-of-way. Most of these do not meet current ADA design standards and need improvement.

 

Self-evaluation process

We do not have an inventory of curb ramps or pedestrian islands in the public right-of-way. A total inventory is time intensive and costly.

We estimated the number of curb ramps and other impacts based on the number of intersections.

We also looked at a sample area to get an idea of what kind of work is needed. We evaluated the number of impacts and barriers to access by evaluating a sample area. For this, we evaluated two urban unincorporated areas in Bethany and Aloha. These areas include a mixture of newer and older streets with diverse road classifications and zoning.

 

Barriers to access

Barriers to access in the public right-of-way include physical barriers. These barriers may be due to facilities that do not meet ADA design standards.

Our ability to remove these barriers depends largely on funding. Ways we can fund ADA improvements include:

  • Land use permitting: Developments must meet the ADA guidelines. This includes providing barrier-free access to public right-of-way.
  • Franchise utility upgrades: When a utility moves their facilities underground, they must replace any curb ramps that they impact with ADA-compliant curb ramps.
  • Transportation maintenance: Our pavement management plan includes ADA upgrades. Many roads are repaved every 8-10 years. Funding for paving is included in:
    • Road Fund
    • Urban Roads Maintenance District (URMD)
  • Transit construction: Major road improvements include ADA upgrades. Primary funding for these programs include:
    • Major Streets Transportation Improvement Program (MSTIP)
    • Special funds
  • Miscellaneous building or utility construction: Construction in or next to the public right-of-way may require ADA improvements.