The city of Kenmore was awarded $2.1 million in grant funding for new sidewalks and sidewalk improvements.

“Pretty excited to be able to provide these improvements for the community. Bringing this amount of money back to the community for sidewalks is a noteworthy achievement,” said Kenmore City Manager Rob Karlinsey in an email.

The funding, given by the Puget Sound Regional Council, King County, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the State Transportation Improvement Board, will be going towards four projects around Kenmore.

The projects funded through the grants include the streets on the south side of Northeast 181st Street from 68th to 73rd Avenue, streets on the north side of Northeast 181st Street from 68th to 73rd Avenue, the area of Northeast 202nd Street from 68th Avenue Northeast to Kenmore Junior High School, and a section of 62nd Avenue Northeast from Northeast 181st Street to Northeast 187th Street, though construction is not expected to start right away.

The grant for the Northeast 202nd Street sidewalk project is in limbo, pending approval of the budget by State Legislature.

“…Folks can let their legislators know that the project is a priority for our community,” Karlinsey said in email.

The city-required funding of $556,000 was amended into the Capital Improvement Program, adding the new sidewalk project allocations, during the Feb. 23 meeting of the Kenmore City Council.

“The city continues to aggressively pursue grant funding to complete safety projects that will enhance facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists and other modes of alternative transportation,” said Kenmore Mayor David Baker.

Of course, the city is interested in making the roads safer for everyone, not just pedestrians.

“All of the sidewalk improvement projects will evaluate the ability to include bicycle improvements which could include bicycle lanes and sharrows [roadway borne sign of chevrons with a bike],” Karlinsey said. “Also, reducing the real estate (lane widths and shoulder) for vehicles tends to slow them down which is a benefit to all modes of transportation.”

While this is a big win in finding the funding for safer streets in Kenmore, there is still more to go. The city has applied for grant funding for sidewalks along the section of Northeast 155th Street, between Inglemoor High school and Moorlands Elementary, and also a portion of 68th Avenue Northeast between Northeast 170th Street and the Sammamish River. However, the city was not successful in getting those projects funded through grants.

Though the city has secured funding for the sidewalks, first they must design and plan the construction projects. Scheduling will have to be considered, too, as the major improvements along the west end of Highway 522 are set to start up soon.

“Later this year, the city will have a focused community conversation regarding multimodal transportation and parks to determine if there are improvements the community desires to pay for that are not feasible given current resources,” Karlinsey said. “The city is currently scoping this process and expects to actively engage the community, likely this summer.”