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 continued with additional alternatives and community outreach through 2024. Mortensen said six alternatives were evaluated; the administration’s preferred alternative includes a sidewalk on one side of the street, preserved two travel lanes, targeted landscape planter strips where tree preservation and driveway grades allow, intersection improvements and traffic calming measures. Mortensen said the total cost estimate for that preferred alternative is $4,661,000.

The administration also presented a lower-cost preferred alternative that uses asphalt walkways at street level separated from traffic with a polyethylene traffic curb and plastic traffic curb separators. Mortensen said that option would require purchasing a smaller street sweeper the city does not currently own and that the total cost estimate including the sweeper is $1,621,000. He told the committee the uphill bike lane option — previously part of outreach — carried an estimated additional cost of about $2,500,000 compared with the alternative without the uphill bike lane, and that both the Transportation Advisory Board and the committee’s prior guidance had favored not installing the uphill bike lane primarily because of the cost and additional tree impacts.

On how those outreach results were summarized, consultant project manager Brent Powell (Pertit) recommended clarifying language in the report about priorities. Powell said the public’s rankings grouped priorities into tiers, with proactive safety and walking notably higher, preserved trees in a middling position, and biking and speed reduction slightly lower. "The preserving trees item would be better listed as not the the highest priority," Powell said, suggesting the report adjust wording to better reflect the outreach tiers.

Committee members expressed general support for adopting the design study report and keeping the lower-cost option on the table for further study. Council Member Ray praised the alternatives analysis and said he was "completely supportive of accepting that document and the recommended preferred alternative," adding he preferred the full preferred alternative’s separation for pedestrians over the lower-cost asphalt option because of safety and perceived comfort. Deputy Council Member DeMichele said she was comfortable proceeding and highlighted the clarity of the presentation and the process used to narrow alternatives.

Staff stressed implementation constraints: Mortensen said recent budget and staffing reductions mean the administration does not expect capacity to advance design on this project until 2028, and recommended the committee direct staff to evaluate maintenance obligations, liability, and feasibility of the lower-cost alternative during 2025–2026 before any CIP decision in 2027 for the 2028–2033 CIP. Mortensen summarized the administration’s preferred guidance to the committee as: adopt the design study report as presented and consider the lower-cost alternative during the 2028–2033 CIP deliberations.

Public comment on the item was not received in the chambers or online during the meeting.

Next steps: The item is scheduled for full City Council consideration on April 21, when the council will be asked to adopt the design study report by resolution. Staff will continue analysis of the lower-cost option, including maintenance, liability and operational implications, ahead of the 2027 CIP update that would set design in 2028 if funded.

Details and figures cited in the meeting, as presented by staff and consultants: the preferred alternative cost estimate $4,661,000; the lower-cost preferred alternative $1,621,000 (including a new street sweeper); estimated additional cost to add an uphill bike lane roughly $2,500,000; project corridor limits from Southwest Mount Markham Place to near Northwest Burwood Boulevard; planning and outreach starting May 2023 with multiple committee and Transportation Advisory Board touch points; expected design capacity not available before 2028 due to staffing/budget constraints.