Lake Stevens staff told the council that a spring pedestrian pilot on 116th/117th Avenue Northeast showed mixed results and that the city will move forward with a sidewalk project for 117th Avenue after the one-way option proved unsuitable.

Why it matters: residents and council members have sought safer pedestrian connections along the 117th corridor; the city intends to design a permanent walking and bike facility and construct it if right-of-way and permitting can be secured.

Eric Mangold, the city's capital projects manager, reviewed the pilot and data collection: the May 2025 four-week trial produced an increase in pedestrian counts and small reductions in the 85th percentile vehicle speeds (about 1–3 mph), but vehicle volumes did not drop and resident sentiment did not improve. Eric summarized the conclusion bluntly: “The 1 way is not the right way.” The staff recommendation is to move to design of a sidewalk/multiuse path on 117th Avenue NE only, scoped to include two 10-foot travel lanes, a four-foot vegetated buffer, an eight-foot multiuse path or bike lane and preliminary stormwater work. Eric said staff is finalizing a design contract with a consultant and aims to advertise for construction in 2026 pending right‑of‑way acquisition, permitting, utility coordination and stormwater design.

Councilmembers asked several clarifying questions about alignment and how the pathway would connect with existing sidewalks to the north and how the project had been prioritized through the Transportation Benefit Program. Eric confirmed the intended alignment would connect past SR-204 to existing sidewalks and that 117th had been the originally identified TBP project. Councilmember Ewing asked why the city is focusing on 117th (rather than 116th); Eric explained 117th was the originally scoped TBP project and 116th had been folded in temporarily during pilot discussions.

Next steps: staff will finalize scoping with the consultant, complete design through early 2026, coordinate rights-of-way and utilities, and return with a construction schedule and funding specifics. Public outreach and property owner coordination were noted as upcoming tasks.