Reader’s wish list: A sidewalk to the lake

Marcia Ray Liaw, of Everett, has lived off 116th Street near Silver Lake for over 18 years. This is a busy road, connecting 19th Avenue SE (Highway 527) and 35th Avenue SE. She wishes there were a safer and easier way for people who live in the area to walk to Silver Lake.

“There are no sidewalks, and in some areas the shoulder is narrow,” Liaw wrote. “Is the city or county ever going to improve that road?”

Both folks I talked to — with Snohomish County (which has jurisdiction over the east end of the roadway) and the city of Everett (west end of the roadway) — say they are aware of a desire for sidewalks, but none are in the works. Other higher-need safety projects take priority.

That said, the city in general is keeping an eye out for grants to help improve 116th Street — it has the street listed in its long-term plans for transportation-related improvements. No grant money is in sight yet.

Sidewalks also can be installed through agreements with developers, added Kathleen Baxter, a spokeswoman for Everett’s public works department.

“Most new sidewalks constructed within the city are as a result of conditions on development,” she said. “A segment of recently constructed sidewalk along the south side of 116th Street SE in the 2200 block is an example.”

Have a question or topic for Street Smarts? Email streetsmarts@heraldnet.com.