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Commission backs Safe Streets grant to improve crossings along State Route 20
Summary
The commission unanimously approved a letter of support for a Safe Streets and Roads for All implementation grant to improve pedestrian safety on State Route 20, citing high traffic volumes and documented crash statistics in the letter read at the meeting.
The Oak Harbor Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission voted June 9 to approve and sign a letter urging funding for the city’s Safe Streets and Roads for All implementation grant that targets pedestrian and multimodal safety improvements along State Route 20.
Chair Carrie Steffy read the letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and asked the commission to sign in support. In the letter Steffy said Oak Harbor has “the highest population density in Island County with a large number of young families” and described traffic and crash figures along State Route 20; the letter states the highway carries “over 20,000 cars driving through the heart of Oak Harbor every day,” accounted for “66 percent of fatalities and 50 percent of serious injury crashes between 2018 and 2022,” and cited an increase in pedestrian fatalities noted in the county data referenced.
Why it matters: the letter argues the Safe Streets implementation grant will fund “low cost, high impact strategies” across a wide area to make crossings safer where trails and streets meet, particularly near schools and parks. The commission noted the city previously participated in the county’s planning grant and adopted a comprehensive safety action plan that lists projects prioritized for Oak Harbor.
Vote: A commissioner moved to approve the letter and authorize the chair to sign on behalf of the commission; commissioners voted in favor and the motion passed.
Follow up: commissioners requested a copy of the prioritized project list referenced in the county safety plan and asked staff to coordinate continuing updates from public works so the commission can track implementation and align parks and trail projects with planned street improvements.
