Committee endorses Squawk Mountain design study; will consider lower-cost pedestrian option in CIP deliberations

Issaquah — The City of Issaquah Mobility and Infrastructure Committee on March 11 reviewed a draft design study for the Squawk Mountain non-motorized improvement project and signaled support for the administration’s recommended preferred alternative while asking staff to further evaluate a lower-cost option for consideration during the 2028–2033 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) deliberations.

The design study covers a corridor on Squawk Mountain along 12th Avenue Northwest and Mount Olympus Drive Northwest, from Southwest Mount Markham Place on the south to just before Northwest Burwood Boulevard on the north. John Mortensen, transportation engineering manager for the city, told the committee the administration seeks feedback on the draft design study report for project TR-068 and whether the committee supports considering a lower-cost preferred alternative during CIP deliberations.

Why it matters: The project would add continuous pedestrian facilities where none exist today, address speeding concerns on a steep corridor of single-family homes and mature trees, and carries an estimated cost difference large enough to affect the city’s multi-year capital budgeting choices.

City staff described the outreach and alternatives analysis. The planning effort began in May 2023 with a phase 1 public engagement survey and…