Ballard Healthy Street

Permanent Healthy Street Fixtures

Healthy Street permanent signage installed at 17th Ave NW and NW 77th Street.

Family walking along Healthy Street just south of NW 89th Street.

Project Map

Storm Water Improvements

This Healthy Street location is an important connection for students walking to and from Whitman Middle School. In addition to street improvements, there will also be drainage improvements at this location. To learn more about the 17th Ave NW Stormwater Improvements, please visit the Seattle Public Utilities project website here.

Background

April 4, 2020, SDOT responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by upgrading 26 miles of Neighborhood Greenways to Stay Healthy Streets throughout the city as a pilot program to allow for socially distanced transportation, recreation, and socialization. 

• Neighborhood Greenways are designated walking, rolling, and biking routes along residential streets with enhanced safety features (such as speed humps, stop signs, and crossing improvements at major intersections) to limit the number and speed of through vehicle. While these are intended for those walking, in wheelchairs, riding bikes and similar, local access, deliveries, waste pickup and emergency vehicles are always allowed. Neighborhood Greenways throughout Seattle were identified through past community engagement processes.  
• Stay Healthy Streets build on the investments in the Neighborhood Greenway network by enhancing signage which closes the street to enable those on foot and bike to be the primary users of the street to allow for social distancing. As with Neighborhood Greenways, local access, deliveries, waste pickup and emergency vehicles are always allowed but drivers must yield to other users.  

The Ballard Neighborhood Greenway on 17th Ave NW was designed to connect the Soundview Playfied at NW 90th Street to Salmon Bay and opened in 2015.

Whitman Middle School students walking south on 17th Ave S before the Healthy Street was installed.

Materials

• Ballard Evaluation (2022)