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City engineer previews Lakewood's 2026 ADA transition plan for sidewalks, ramps and signals
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Summary
City Engineer Weston Ott told the Planning Commission on March 18 that Lakewood posted its draft ADA transition plan and aims to adopt it June 1; the plan relies on a 2021 self-inventory of curb ramps, sidewalks and push-buttons, sets a prioritization approach for barrier removal and calls for annual inventory updates.
City engineer Weston Ott presented an overview of Lakewood's 2026 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plan to the Planning Commission on March 18, describing the plan's scope, legal basis, inventory work and timeline toward City Council adoption.
Ott said the plan focuses on right-of-way infrastructure such as sidewalks, curb ramps and pedestrian push-buttons. The city completed a self-inventory in 2021 and will update inventories annually; the plan sets a prioritization method to remove the worst barriers first. Ott described possible interventions ranging from installing truncated domes and audible push buttons to fully rebuilding ramps and intersections, and he emphasized a budget-and-priority approach to match available funding.
Ott explained the plan is required by federal law and that Lakewood, a jurisdiction with a population above 50, has named an ADA coordinator (the human-resources manager) and maintains a grievance procedure. He said staff posted the draft plan that afternoon and expects a Planning Commission recommendation and Council adoption by June 1, 2026, after further public engagement and stakeholder outreach (including the Center for Independence and Pierce Transit).
Commissioners asked technical and implementation questions. When asked to define truncated domes, Ott explained they are the small raised detectable-surfaces placed at ramp edges to aid people with vision impairment. On whether staff will track pedestrian counts to evaluate the program's public benefit, Ott said the city does not currently conduct systematic pedestrian counts but prioritizes locations near hospitals and schools. He also explained that new construction must generally meet ADA standards, with a few geography-driven "maximum extent feasible" exceptions.
Ott said the plan will be a living document: staff will revise inventories annually and incorporate new capital projects as they are built. He noted the city recently updated related standards and that the ADA program will rely on the consultant-supported outreach and a prioritization schedule presented to the commission.
