A makeover for South 56th Street

Images courtesy of city of Tacoma

NEW LOOK. South 56th Street heading east toward the intersection with South Tacoma Way as it appears now, and how it could look in the future.

South 56th Street is a heavily travelled arterial. It looks a little rough around the edges, in places. Tacoma City Councilmember Connie Ladenburg, who represents this section of the city, recently asked city staff to come up with proposals for sprucing up this corridor. Public Works Director Dick McKinley and Kurtis Kingsolver, a traffic engineer in the department, gave a presentation on the topic during the Dec. 9 meeting of the council’s Environment and Public Works Committee.

Pictures were taken of several spots along the South 56th Street corridor. The city has a small contract for graphic design work with a person who enhanced the photos to show what the areas would look like with streetscape improvements.

At this point, the designs are just conceptual. The city has not identified funding sources. Should they move forward, staff would seek input from residents, according to Kingsolver.

“We can do a lot of things, but to me it is not a project until they are involved,” Kingsolver remarked.

The exercise follows the guidelines of complete streets, a concept of making streets appealing and accessible not just for motorists but pedestrians and bicyclists also.

Cities around the nation are adopting this concept, and Tacoma is gradually implementing it.

Kingsolver said they incorporated this concept when appropriate. The conceptual improvements for South 56th Street would benefit pedestrians. Bicycle lanes would not work on this street without reducing lane capacity, so they were not included. He noted South 54th Street is better suited for bicyclists.

The designs add a number of nice touches, from banners to hanging flower baskets to different styles of streetlights.

“It is a chance for the area to have an identity,” Kingsolver said.

The needs of Tacoma Fire Department were also taken into consideration. Because this is a major arterial, Kingsolver said any changes would have to allow enough space for fire trucks to maneuver.

Ladenburg’s interest in making the corridor more aesthetically pleasing stems partly from the 2015 U.S. Open. The golf tournament, to take place at Chambers Bay in University Place, is expected to draw huge crowds from around the country. This corridor is expected to be a major transportation route for fans going between the course and their hotels.

Kingsolver said the city of University Place does not currently have funding for streetscape improvements along the route to the golf course, “but they are looking at the same things we are.”

Not far away, Sound Transit built a transportation center for busses and eventually, commuter rail. Kingsolver said city staff have not discussed their ideas with Sound Transit staff, but would do so if the project moves forward in the future.

“We would want to create some type of synergy with what they have.”

Kingsolver said these streetscape improvements are not currently in the city’s six-year transportation plan, but could be added in the future.

There is no money identified as of now for improvements to this corridor. McKinley said projects such as this are not ideal for grants because they tend to reduce vehicle capacity. Agencies that provide grants typically want the opposite.

Kingsolver said the committee requested he discuss the ideas brought up in the presentation with Councilmember Marilyn Strickland after she takes office as mayor.

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