Kent staff release draft ADA transition plan for public comment, propose multi-year inventory schedule

City Traffic Engineer Eric Preston presented a draft ADA transition plan for the public right-of-way at an April 1 council workshop and announced a public comment period that runs through May 15, after which staff will revise the plan and return to the Committee of the Whole on June 3 and council on June 17 for adoption.

Preston said the ADA Title II plan covers sidewalks, curb ramps, pedestrian signals, enhanced crossings and driveway crossings within the public right-of-way; it does not cover building interiors and other Title III facilities. He outlined four required elements of a transition plan: an inventory of barriers, a description of corrective measures, a schedule for remediation and designation of the responsible official (the city’s ADA coordinator, named by prior resolution as the risk manager, Elaine Wu).

The draft includes an implementation schedule that separates inventory and construction phases. Preston described an initial inventory target covering curb ramps, push buttons and signals to be completed over about three years (target completion 2028), driveway crossings within about five years (2030) and a long-term sidewalk inventory (10–15 years, with a wide range because of the city’s legacy infrastructure). Construction or corrective timelines are longer: signal timing adjustments estimated at up to three years, push-button function updates five to ten years, and driveway/sidewalk remediation measured in multiple years thereafter.

Preston said the city already upgrades ramps and related features when overlays or other alterations trigger an ADA-required alteration and that the overlay program performs much of the heavy lifting for paving projects. He also noted intern and grant opportunities as possible funding and staffing sources for the long inventory phase. The draft plan and outreach information are on the city’s Engage page; staff will also reach out to boards, commissions and community advocacy groups during the comment period.

Council members asked clarifying questions about driveway‑crossing improvements, the grievance and accommodation request process (Preston said a formal online form exists and city staff handle requests through multiple intake channels), and pedestrian accessibility features for people with visual impairment (Preston described vibrotactile/locator tones and upgraded push-button features and said roughly half of the city’s signals are already equipped to standard). No action was required; the presentation initiated the public-comment and adoption schedule.