Pedestrian Refuge Islands
November 20, 2025
What's Happening Now?
Construction is right around the corner! As soon as December 2025, we plan to start building islands at least one of the eight sites around Seattle. For now, you can learn more about what we are building in this webpage. You can also sign up for email updates if you want to stay in the know about our construction.
Project Overview
Crosswalks allow you to travel (i.e., walk, roll, jog, shuffle, etc.) from one side of a street to the other. Basically, they help you get safely from Point A to Point B. Sometimes, a crosswalk could be safer, though. Vehicle traffic affects how safe a crosswalk is. Sometimes pedestrians take longer to cross. Other times, travelers are not as visible to people in cars or on bikes.
We have a few different ways to make crossing safer. One is a Rectangular Rapidly Flashing Beacon (or RRFB). This is a sign with a light that flashes so that drivers know a pedestrian is crossing the street.
A crosswalk with a Rapidly Flashing Beacon.
We also make crossings safer with pedestrian refuge islands. These concrete medians let travelers cross streets with many lanes. Pedestrian refuge islands are usually out on streets where traffic flows in opposite directions. To use them, a person would cross the first part of the street to reach the island. After that, they would either continue or wait for traffic to allow them to cross to the other side.
A crosswalk on a busy street with a pedestrian refuge island.
Project Locations
- 11th Ave & E Pike St (Capitol Hill)
- 6th Ave W & W Nickerson St (Queen Anne)
- College Way N & N 103rd St (Northgate)
- Stone Way N & N 41st S St (Wallingford)
- 23rd Ave S & S Main St (Central District)
- 2nd Ave NE & NE 45th St (Wallingford)
- Meridian Ave N & N 107th St (Northgate)
- 12th Ave & E Alder St (First Hill)
Project Schedule
Construction is due to begin in early December 2025. Stay tuned for more updates.
Funding
- 2020 WSDOT City Safety Grant
- Vision Zero