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Current Public Works Projects

South 216th Street Sidewalk Project
South 216th Street will be widened along this corridor to provide a two-way left turn lane, sidewalks along both sides of the street, and bicycle lanes in each direction.  For additional information click here for the project page.

16th Ave South Improvement Project
The project involves numerous safety improvements including curbs, gutters, sidewalks, crosswalks, left turn lanes, & traffic signal improvements as well as relocation of utilities in the corridor.  For additional information click here for the project page.

Des Moines Creek & Beach Park Construction Projects - Summer 2007
The City, in partnership with other agencies has embarked on several projects that will improve Des Moines Beach Park infrastructure, and restore Des Moines Creek by reducing flooding.  For public safety purposes, construction areas within the Park and along the trail must be closed intermittently to pedestrians and vehicles.  For additional information click here for the project page.

Marine View Drive Bridge Update – 07/07

Arterial Maintenance Program
This yearly program exists to maintain and preserve the integrity of the City’s existing roadway surfaces through a combination of pavement rehabilitation measures, such as overlays. Streets are selected for projects using the City’s Pavement Management System. This system divides the streets into appropriate segments and rates their condition by assigning each street a pavement condition index. Staff is then able to determine the most effective combination of reconstruction, rehabilitation and maintenance measures to fit within a given budget. Reconstruction of streets can be costly, and can be delayed when proper preservation techniques are budgeted for and implemented.

Pavement Management Program
This yearly program exists to maintain and preserve the integrity of the City’s existing roadway surfaces through a combination of pavement rehabilitation measures, such as overlays, slurry treatments, and chip seals.  Streets are selected for projects using the City’s Pavement Management System. This system divides the streets into appropriate segments and rates their condition by assigning each street a pavement condition index. Staff is then able to determine the most effective combination of reconstruction, rehabilitation and maintenance measures to fit within a given budget. Reconstruction of streets is extremely costly, and can be delayed when proper preservation techniques are budgeted for and implemented.

Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program
The Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program provides a response to some widely experienced traffic problems such as cut-through traffic, speeding, and security.  Cut through traffic has neither its origin nor its destination within the neighborhood, but rather is passing through the neighborhood on its local streets.  Many motorists (neighborhood residents as well as 'cut throughs') drive too fast on local streets.  Excessive traffic speeds and volumes on local streets impact the quality of life in our neighborhoods.  The installation of traffic calming measures to reduce vehicle speeds and volumes within neighborhoods can enhance neighborhood safety.
Neighborhood consensus and participation are required prior to implementing projects. Available traffic calming measures are listed in the Des Moines Municipal Code and include speed humps, traffic circles, chicanes and others.  Small projects are funded through the City’s Arterial Street Fund. 
For further information click here.

Des Moines Creek Non-Motorized Trail Extension (status - 1/17/07)
The City of Des Moines is planning to extend the Des Moines Creek Trail from Des Moines Beach Park  to the Midway Wastewater Treatment Plant.  The project is currently in the design phase, and construction of this project is anticipated for the spring and summer of 2008, following the completion of the Moines Creek Bridge Project, and other improvements planned for the Beach Park.
This trail link will fully connect with the planned "Westside Trail" being designed by the City of SeaTac as shown on the graphic below.  Trail connections within the park and to the downtown area will be considered during design.  Anticipated trail construction includes approximately one mile of paved pathway, 12' wide, with 2' shoulders and associated signage, drainage and other related improvements.  The trail is planned as a multi-jurisdictional project connecting Puget Sound to Seattle.   This will be a federally funded project with matching funds from the City of Des Moines.  Design of the extension project is being undertaken as a joint effort between of the City of Des Moines Parks Department and the Planning, Public Works and Building Department.  For further information on the status of the project, please call the Public Works Department at 206.870.6522.  Click here to view the proposed trail map.

Annual Guardrail Program
This program is specifically intended to target roadside safety on the City’s street system.  This program will identify and prioritize guardrail candidate locations.  Guardrail candidate locations are those where guardrail is warranted, as determined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) – Roadside Design Guide, but where none exists, and locations where the existing guardrail does not meet current design standards and should be upgraded to enhance safety.  It is anticipated that this program will last 6 to 8 years depending on the availability of funds.  At the end of that time frame, the City’s guardrail system should be consistent with current design standards.

Annual Sidewalk Program
This program is intended to specifically target existing sidewalk locations that are in significant need of repair, or that do not meet current City, WSDOT, or ADA Standards.  Typical locations for repair might include curb, gutter, sidewalk, asphalt paths, driveway approaches.  This program is intended to address repairs that are considered too large for normal maintenance activities.   This program will prioritize projects that are near schools, in commercial areas, and at locations with high amounts of pedestrian traffic.  Special consideration will be given to locations with past pedestrian accident history, and at locations where citizen concerns have been received.

Comprehensive Transportation Plan
The Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) is a long range planning document.  This document is referenced in the Transportation Element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.  Cities are required to adopt and maintain a CTP by the Growth Management Act (GMA).  The existing CTP is an update that was adopted by the City Council in December of 2001.  At that time, the document was an update of the original CTP that was prepared in 1992 and 1993.  Much of the data used in the update of the CTP was from 1996-1998.  The GMA requires that the City have a CTP that address transportation issues a minimum of 10 years in the future.  The analysis in the current CTP looked at transportation needs out to the year 2020, using traffic volumes and data from 1996 and 1998 – data that is now 10 years old.  Therefore, it is time once again to take a look at the City’s comprehensive transportation needs.  The study and preparation of the CTP will assure that all major transportation needs have been identified.  This includes all modes of transportation; pedestrian, bicycle, vehicle, freight, and transit – including Metro busses and Sound Transit Light Rail.  This document is an essential tool used for responsible transportation planning, for establishment of policy, and for providing decision making guidance on prioritizing the City’s transportation improvement needs that will cost millions and millions of dollars.

North Twin Bridge
This is one of two bridges the City owns and maintains along 16th Avenue South.  The north twin bridge is located just south of South 250th Street, and consists of a two-lane vehicle bridge that spans McSorley Creek.  The bridge is a three-span cast-in-place box girder design constructed in 1951 and is 212 feet long with an overall average width of 28 feet.  The center span is the longest span at approximately 80 feet.  Twin square concrete columns with portal ties support the box girders.
This bridge is in need of several improvements which include seismic retrofitting, painting, pedestrian improvements, and guardrail.  Prior to this area being annexed into the City, King County made similar improvements to the south twin bridge, which is located several hundred feet south of the north twin bridge.
State and Federal law requires that agencies routinely inspect all bridges in their system.  Information from these inspections is input into the State’s bridge information system.  As part of the most recent bridge inspection, a load rating analysis was conducted for this bridge.  The results of that analysis indicated that a weight limit should be posted for the bridge.  On August 1st, 2006, a 20 Ton weight restriction was posted for the bridge.

South 216th Street Corridor Study
As the property along this corridor continues to be developed and redeveloped, it is critical that we monitor and plan for adequate transportation improvements.  This is particularly important at the intersection of South 216th Street and Pacific Highway South, South 216th Street and 24th Avenue South, and areas of South 216th Street and 24th Avenue South adjacent to the Des Moines Creek Business Park.  As developers make frontage improvements and the City improves this corridor, the ultimate cross sections and right-of-way needs need to have already been identified so that improvements are made consistently.