Mayor Greg Nickels said today, May 13, that transportation investments through the voter-approved Bridging the Gap levy continue to make improvements to roads, bike lanes and sidewalks.

Bridging the Gap was proposed and approved in 2006 to catch up on a multi-million backlog of needed infrastructure projects. Since then, more than $159 million has been invested on transportation upgrades.

“The Bridging the Gap levy is transforming Seattle,” said Nickels, in a statement. “From walkways to roadways, from bus service to bike lanes, you see the benefits in every neighborhood of the city. We’ve made lots of pedestrian improvements, too, and thanks to Bridging the Gap funding, we’ve got a plan to make walking even safer.”

During the first two years of the levy, the Seattle Department of Transportation has:

- Paved more than 68 lane-miles of road

- Secured 20,000 new hours of transit service

- Striped 57 lane-miles of bike lanes and sharrows

- Replaced 17,135 regulatory signs

- Replaced street name signs at 2,119 intersections

- Planted 1,604 new street trees

The levy has also paid for the construction of 28 blocks of new sidewalk, 38 blocks of repaired sidewalk, 1,871 remarked crosswalks and improved school zone signage at 102 schools. Since 2002, the city has built more than 300 blocks of new sidewalks.

This year, Bridging the Gap will pay for the following:

- Pave more than 20 lane-miles of road

- Restripe 1,300 lane-miles of arterials

- Replace street name signs at 1,700 intersections

- Stripe 35 lane-miles of bike lanes and sharrows

- Plant 800 new street trees

The transportation department will also remark 700 crosswalks, build 25 blocks of new sidewalks and repair 17 blocks of existing sidewalks.

The city’s first ever Pedestrian Master Plan, released last week, is another result of the levy. It examines the needs of walkers across the city and helps identify and prioritize projects in areas with the greatest need.

Following the 2007 Bicycle Master Plan, also funded by Bridging the Gap, a goal of the pedestrian plan is to make Seattle the most walkable city
in the nation, according to the mayor's office.

The 2006 voter-approved Bridging the Gap is a nine-year, $365 million levy that addresses 20 years of deferred maintenance caused by chronic underfunding of the city’s transportation infrastructure.