Dallas Ave S Sidewalk Repair and Tree Preservation

What’s Happening Now?

With the goal of maximizing ADA accessibility and preserving the trees that line Dallas Ave S, the design for the project has been updated to include two more segments of sidewalk being constructed in the flex lane. By building the sidewalk in the flex lane—in place of street parking—we are able to preserve the trees and install a sidewalk that everyone can use. Below you can find a map showing the new design.

The project will now construct sidewalks in the parking lane on the northeast side of Dallas Ave S between S Southern St and 12th Ave S. To ensure that people crossing the street are easy to see, we will also add in paint and post curb bulbs at the southeast and southwest corners of Dallas Ave S and S Southern St and the southeast corner of Dallas Ave S and S Rose St.

Updated Design

Previous Design

The Dallas Ave S Sidewalk Repair and Tree Preservation project began as a sidewalk repair project, but after hearing from and working with South Park residents, especially the immediate neighbors, it has evolved to prioritize ADA accessibility and tree preservation. The project included engaging with the community over the last two years, understanding that every healthy tree should be preserved, accessibility needs to be improved, and traffic calming is needed. When the project is complete, there will be smoother sidewalks for people walking and more space for the street trees. To minimize disruption to the neighborhood, we hope to carry the work one block at a time, starting from the north end. Each block is anticipated to take two to three weeks, pending alignment with Seattle Public Utilities crew schedule.

Progress Photos

What to Expect During Construction

• Work began on March 25, 2024 and will last a few months, weather permitting.
• Work will typically occur between Monday through Friday, 8 AM and 3 PM and possibly later when crews are pouring concrete. Weekend work will now also occur.
• Sidewalks under construction will be closed. People walking will need to use the other side of the street.
• There may be short traffic delays while we work.
• Parking will not be allowed during construction as the space will be used for construction and equipment/material staging.
• We will notify neighbors of temporary driveway or other access closures during the construction work.
• Typical construction equipment, trucks, materials, noise, dust, and activity will be in the work area.
• Please note that you’ll soon see SDOT postings on the street trees along the street to inform the public that we will repair the sidewalk and we are striving to preserve the trees. This is standard practice and provides transparency to the public. An SDOT posting on a tree does not mean that the tree will be removed. Each tree will be evaluated to ensure health conditions and so that sidewalk construction is carried out in a way that does not pose any unnecessary risk to the trees. 

Project Background

Design for the sidewalk rehabilitation on Dallas Ave S started as a 2022 Reconnect West Seattle sidewalk repair and accessibility project. During design, we opened a sidewalk on Dallas Ave S between 12th Ave S and S Rose St to assess tree roots and to determine the amount of tree root pruning needed for the sidewalk repair. Additional investigation identified that, as scoped, the project would threaten many trees along the project corridor. At 30% design, the project estimated the possible loss of one to five trees.

The community has been actively engaged and has stated their position that every tree should be preserved, accessibility needs to be improved, traffic calming is desired, and that on-street parking is not a priority. A revised approach to sidewalk repair – with the intent of preserving trees – was developed and the new 30% design was presented to the community. We have been co-creating this design with community throughout the year and have met with adjacent property owners numerous times in 2023 to discuss each phase of the design, gather feedback, modify or add to the design, and be responsive to comments. We have continued to collaborate with community throughout the construction phase.

100 percent design was completed in February 2024.

How SDOT Strives to Preserve Trees

SDOT’s arborists on our Urban Forestry team collaborate with their colleagues in SDOT’s Project Development Division with the goal of preserving every tree adjacent to a project whenever possible.

It’s not possible to know how healthy and viable a street tree is until we remove the sidewalk and examine the roots. This allows arborists to evaluate the condition of the roots and how they are interacting with the sidewalk. We use established standards to determine if root pruning is necessary and how it can be done without harming the trees. In rare cases, the necessary root pruning can cause the tree to be unstable and require it to be removed for public safety. In some cases, sidewalks can be narrowed, rerouted, or roots can be bridged to lessen impacts to trees. SDOT crews will be considering all available opportunities to lessen the impacts to trees along the corridor. 

Trees are essential to our efforts to combat the impacts of climate change and to build healthy communities. SDOT believes that environmental health should be improved for future generations and our goal is to manage our streets and sidewalks in a way that enriches public life and improves community health.